


Burning Skyline

by pouty_hoseok



Series: Claws [3]
Category: ATEEZ (Band), Stray Kids (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Angst, Bang Chan-centric, Blood, Choi Soobin-Centric, Crossover, Crying, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Gambling, Hybrids, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Kim Hongjoong-centric, M/M, Mental Health Issues, OCD, POV Multiple, Park Seonghwa-centric, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rebellion, Road Trips, Trauma, Violence, perhaps, soft?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 48,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29521791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pouty_hoseok/pseuds/pouty_hoseok
Summary: Chan and his pack are tasked with finding Seonghwa Park and his assistant, Hongjoong Kim, after the designer flees the Capitol building as a dragon hybrid.Soobin unearths an ugly childhood history as well as trying to advance the hybrid uprising.Hongjoong finds himself running for his life with his boyfriend.And Seonghwa is forced to return to his roots.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Huening Kai/Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Hwang Hyunjin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin, Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin
Series: Claws [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072442
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	1. Prologue: Explode

**Author's Note:**

> ugh sorry it took so long, but I love you guys and thank you so much!! Also, Atinys, we have to get ready for the comeback!

[ _ Louder than bombs (Orchestral Cover) _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6U5A_bxKYw)

The one thing that Seonghwa knows when he wakes up is that he’s never been in this much pain before. Hot iron presses against his back as he curls and shakes weakly, choking on his sobs. Everything hurts, really. 

The pain makes it so Seonghwa can only drift in and out of consciousness. His vision is blurred and tainted by the flames around him and his head spins, though he’s in too much pain to get up. His skin aches and the heat makes him sweat, droplets pooling around him. Eventually, though, he lets his eyes fall shut again.

This time, when he wakes up, Seonghwa is conscious enough that he can stand. His back and head feel heavy, and he throws his fur coat off. Seonghwa clutches his head and groans, trying to get his bearings. 

_ Okay, _ he thinks,  _ I’m alive, and I’m still in the Capitol Building. _ Seonghwa sniffs the air, and smoke fills his lungs. The sensation is none too pleasant. 

_ Keep moving, Seong. _

_ I have to find Hongjoong, _ the hybrid thinks to himself. He rubs his eyes.  _ Shit, Hongjoong! _

Seonghwa scrambles around, looking for the cat hybrid. He eventually finds him lying on the ground, unconscious. Seonghwa throws himself onto the ground and grabs him, and, for a second, he sees Minseok lying there, his neck twisted. He shakes his head defiantly. 

_ No! _ Seonghwa thinks.  _ I have to save Hongjoong. Minseok-Hyung isn’t here anymore. Hongjoong is who I’m worried about. _

Seonghwa presses his hands against Hongjoong’s little chest and begins pushing, tears brimming in his eyes. Seonghwa has no medical training whatsoever, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t try to save Hongjoong. 

“Wake up, wake up,  _ please _ , wake up,” Seonghwa begs. He pinches Hongjoong’s nose and opens his mouth, pressing their lips together and breathing into his mouth. Just in case it wasn’t clear enough before: Seonghwa has no idea what he’s doing and he hardly even knows what CPR is. “Hongjoong, goddammit!” 

He finds Hongjoong’s inhaler in his pocket. Seonghwa pulls Hongjoong into a sitting position and brings the thing to the cat’s lips, praying it works. It  _ has _ to work.

Hongjoong gasps against the inhaler and Seonghwa releases a weak sob, pressing his forehead against Hongjoong’s. 

“Oh my God, you’re  _ alive _ ,” he whispers. Hongjoong grunts and whimpers a bit, wrapping his hands around Seonghwa’s horns. 

_ I have horns.  _ Seonghwa glances up and then to the side, his eyes growing even wider when he sees his tail.  _ Oh my God.  _

Seonghwa shoves Hongjoong off of him and scrambles away. The cat hybrid looks surprised and scared. 

“H-Hwa?” he whimpers. Seonghwa shakes his head and gets up. 

“No, Hongjoong, you have to leave,” he says. He steps forward and then steps back, too scared about accidentally hurting Hongjoong. “You have to run.” 

Hongjoong stares at him and shakes his head, lifting his hands up. 

“Hwa,” he whispers brokenly, “we’re-”

Seonghwa shakes his head quickly. 

“No, you have to run, Hongjoong,” he says. He helps him to his feet. Hongjoong’s hands are so small,  _ Hongjoong _ is so small - he’d never make it if Seonghwa took him as well. “I’ll deal with the guards, you just-”

Hongjoong’s knees wobble and then he falls. Seonghwa’s heart leaps into his throat as tears stream down his cheeks, scrambling to catch Hongjoong. 

“No, you can’t do that, sweetie,” he whispers hoarsely. “Joongie, darling, you have to  _ run _ . I know - find Chief Bang, he’ll help you. Just - just  _ run, _ for fuck’s sake,  _ Hongjoong!” _

The cat hybrid holds him and hides his face in Seonghwa’s chest. Seonghwa shakes his head and swallows hard, listening as something breaks. There are guards coming. 

“Hongjoong,” he whispers yet again, shaking him, “you have to  _ leave. _ ”

There is no response, and, finally, Seonghwa realizes that Hongjoong is unconscious. He can’t run, he can’t leave - he’s stuck. 

_ If I leave him, they won’t let him live, _ Seonghwa thinks. He looks down at Hongjoong.  _ I have to take him. _

“Everyone, remain calm!” someone yells. “The authorities have arrived. Everyone, stay where you are!” 

The guards are here. 

Seonghwa looks down at Hongjoong again. He glances at the door, takes in the flames around him. His wings stretch slowly and Seonghwa finally looks up. 

_ Bingo, _ he thinks. 

“Okay, Joong,” he says softly, “hold on.” 

And then, Seonghwa leaps, beating his wings and flying through the hole in the ceiling. 

~

Namjoon watches the television carefully, his earpiece buzzing. He jumps when a sudden whine cuts through, tearing the thing out. 

“Someone signaled!” the dragon roars, getting to his feet. He grabs his cane and limps toward the door, but Seokjin appears and ushers him back toward his seat. Namjoon wishes he could go, he doesn’t want to have sent anyone to their deaths. Seokjin knows how antsy he gets whenever there’s even the slightest alarm. But they all know that Namjoon would be too much of a dead weight out there. He’s trying to cope with it, but it’s a bit difficult. Obviously.

“Sit down, Joon-ah, not now,” he says. He squeezes his shoulder. “Chan went to get him. Just - just settle for a bit, okay? Everything’s okay.” 

“What about the others? Soobin and the rest of the teams? Are they okay? They’re heading back?” Namjoon asks. Seokjin purses his lips and looks uneasy. 

“They’re waiting for Chan,” he says. He kisses Namjoon on the head, careful of his horns. “It’s okay, dear. Just wait.” 

Namjoon chews his lower lip and watches the TV, waiting anxiously for something to happen. 

Seconds pass, and Namjoon’s internal clock for the bomb slowly gets closer to zero. There is still no word from the others. 

_ Please be okay, _ Namjoon thinks.  _ Please, please, bring them back home safely.  _

_ “All right, Joon,” _ Hoseok’s voice says in his ear, _ “the bomb is going off in five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one.” _

Instinctively, Namjoon shuts his eyes. There’s a sort of stillness in the air. It makes Namjoon uneasy as he glances up at the large screen of the television, claws shooting out and digging into the plush couch he sits upon. And then, the channel on the TV changes. 

_ “Good morning, New York,” _ the reporter says. He’s tall-ish and definitely Asian, with black hair and almond-shaped eyes.  _ “It’s Taemin Lee on the scene of the Capitol Building, where the Councillors along will be debating the enforcement of hybrid laws.” _ He looks around, shifting in place.  _ “However, just mere seconds ago, the building exploded.” _ Namjoon chews on his nails as the camera focuses on the burning building behind the reporter, instead of the man himself.  _ “It is currently 9:21 a.m., the meeting having started at nine o’clock, sharp. We-” _

Taemin winces as a bunch of yelling and screaming interrupts him, though someone points at the building from behind the camera. 

_ “Hey, uh, you might wanna look behind you, Mr. Lee,” _ a voice, presumably that of the cameraman, says. Taemin turns around and the camera moves to zoom in on a small figure. 

_ Oh my God.  _

A pair of huge wings beat as a hybrid lifts someone out of the building, and Namjoon is dead terrified. He hears Taemin’s microphone fall but he doubts anyone watching TV right now has the presence of mind to care. That is a fucking  _ dragon hybrid. _

_ “Namjoon, don’t do anything rash,” _ Seokjin says in his ear. But the dragon hybrid has already grabbed his cane and rushed out of the room. He’s not letting anyone else get hurt. 


	2. Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soobin hasn't a clue what's going on, Chan hopes his injuries don't stop him from doing his job, and Hongjoong is terrified.

A nervous energy thrums through the group. Soobin can see everyone’s fiddling like crazy, and he wishes he could do something to assuage their worries. Chan just ran into the building to get Felix back. Soobin checks his Mini-Tablet and bites his lip, looking back up at the building. 

“He’s going to be okay,” Yeonjun says from beside him. It sounds like it’s to assure everyone, including himself. “He’s Chan-Hyung. Everyone knows he’s gonna get out.” 

Soobin hopes that the fox hybrid is right. They stand near the cars, ready to drive at any moment except for now. Chan and Felix are still missing. It doesn’t help at all that Felix had signaled right before, a sure sign of something bad happening. 

There’s a clatter to his left, and Soobin looks over as San climbs onto the hood of one of the cars. He lifts a pair of binoculars to his eyes and frowns, leaning forward. The rest of them crowd around him eagerly. Right now, every word out of San’s mouth is precious. 

There’s a huge and sudden boom that startles everyone back. Soobin turns with wide eyes, his jaw hanging slack. His heart thunders as he stares at the flaming building, and Yeonjun hands him a gas mask. 

“Just in case,” he says. “Everyone has them; you just left yours in the car.”

Soobin nods absent-mindedly, too focused on the scene before him. He can’t risk looking away for a second. 

“I SEE THEM!” San shrieks suddenly. He leans forward as they all turn to the snake hybrid with wide eyes. 

“Where?! Where?!” Minho yells. San’s knuckles, even in the red light of the fire, are white. 

“They’re - they have a parachute! They just escaped through a window!” 

Yoongi’s voice suddenly crackles through their earpieces, and Soobin presses his fingers to it. 

_ “I just got a message from Chan; he and Felix are alive and on their way down. Also, all of you are supposed to be lying low. There are already a bunch of White Guards swarming around, y’all be careful.” _

“Got it, Hyung,” Beomgyu says. 

“Keep us updated on Chan-Hyung?” Minho says. Yoongi hums. 

_ “I’ll try, _ ” he says,  _ “but I wouldn’t want to distract you if anything was to happen.” _

“Ok,” Minho says. He turns and looks at Soobin. “We’ll see you back home, yeah?” 

Yoongi chuckles. 

_ “Of course. Good luck, you guys. I think you’re gonna need it.” _

“What about Seonghwa?” Wooyoung interrupts. “Is - he and Hongjoong got out, didn’t they?” 

Yoongi’s silence is enough of an answer. Soobin sees San pull Wooyoung into his arms, whispering something that only they can hear. 

_ “I’m sorry,”  _ Yoongi says softly. 

“We’ll find them,” Soobin says before he can think better of it. He nods, even though Yoongi can’t see him. “Thanks, Hyung.”

The conversation ends, and, slowly, everyone turns to Soobin. 

“So, what now, leader?” Minho says. Soobin bites his lip. Yeonjun takes his hand and squeezes gently, offering the panther hybrid a reassuring smile. 

“We’re going to get closer to try and see what’s going on,” Soobin says. He looks over at Changbin, finding the dog hybrid to be looking nervously at the burning building. “We need to know what’s happening.” 

“Well, we’d better get out of here quickly,” Taehyun says. He points at a van pulling up nearby. “They’ve gotten the reporters out. We don’t want to be seen.” 

Soobin nods in agreement, grabbing a face mask. It’s not enough to hide his identity, but it’ll do some good. He’s not the one who has to worry, though; Changbin, Seungmin, Minho, Jisung, Hyunjin, and Jeongin all have to be especially careful. 

It doesn’t take long for them all to drive down to the Capitol building. The biggest struggle is the crowd. Soobin thanks his parents for his height as he navigates his way through, looking around and craning his neck. 

The screens around them light up suddenly. Everyone turns to see a reporter on them, holding his mic and talking. However, it isn’t long before the crowd’s attention is stolen by the White Guards trying to get in. They ram into the doors with some sort of . . . thing, and it looks like no one in the crowd is very keen on helping them. Soobin certainly isn’t, that’s for sure. 

“THERE’S SOMETHING COMING OUT OF THE BUILDING!” a voice suddenly shrieks. Everyone seems to share the same brain as they all look up at the smoke-gray sky, eagerly trying to spot the thing. 

Over the helicopters and ruckus, Soobin can hear the sound of beating wings. His instincts tell him to climb up something to see what’s up, but he remains on the ground. The  _ thing _ is a hybrid, he can tell that much. It’s also carrying something. 

_ Oh, no, _ Soobin thinks, dread filling him.  _ That can’t - what the hell? _

[ _ 지평선 (Horizon) _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhNpnJ3idpE)

“That’s - that’s Seonghwa!” San yells, grabbing his arm. The panther hybrid jumps. “That’s Seonghwa, we have to-”

_ “All of you, go after that hybrid right now!”  _ Namjoon’s voice suddenly booms. Soobin is half-tempted to yank his earpiece out. He looks around and spots the others, nodding at them. Yeonjun grabs his hand, then, and they race out of the crowd. Soobin’s heartbeat is wild in his chest as they go, slamming against his ribcage. 

“You drive, I’ll take care of anyone following us,” Yeonjun says. Soobin nods, deciding against asking questions. They get into the car and Soobin sees Yeonjun get out an AR-15 and he supposes he should’ve figured that that’s what he meant when he said “take care of anyone following us”. 

“You’ve killed before?” he asks before he can think better of it. Soobin steals a glance at Yeonjun as the fox hybrid shrugs, ears twitching atop his head. He’s pouting. It’s unfairly adorable considering he’s literally loading a gun to shoot people. 

“You’ll do anything when you’re desperate,” he says. His expression is dark as he turns to look out the window. “All right. Let’s get a move on.” 

Soobin snorts, but he presses his foot against the gas pedal. Seonghwa’s silhouette is, thankfully, pretty visible. Also, the fact that he’s a literal  _ dragon hybrid _ is pretty helpful, but that’s a given. At least, in Soobin’s mind, it is. 

“Shit,” Yeonjun says. Soobin does not like the sound of that, nope, no siree. 

“We’re being tailed?” he says, though it’s not really a question - the answer is obvious from how Yeonjun opens the top of the car and unbuckles his seatbelt. 

“Nothing Changbin, Wooyoung, and I can’t handle,” he says. He winks at Soobin and grabs a helmet, pulling it over his head. Soobin glances at him as he stands up and starts firing. 

“Goddammit, Yeonjun-Hyung,” he grumbles through gritted teeth. Yeonjun laughs, though Soobin isn’t sure if he can be heard. It’s probably something someone else said.

“Motherfucker!” Yeonjun yells over the wind. Soobin laughs from inside and Yeonjun looks down. When Soobin looks up at him, he can see his grin even through the helmet. 

“Be careful, will you?” Soobin says. His tone is definitely far from nice, and, knowing Yeonjun, that won’t be of help at all, but, at risk of repeating himself, Soobin knows Yeonjun. And his tone, at least, in a situation like this one, won’t make a difference.

“Yeah, yeah, I see ‘im,” Yeonjun murmurs, though Soobin can barely hear him. He’s also much more focused on chasing Seonghwa, who’s been flying faster and faster. 

_ He must be terrified, _ Soobin thinks as he glances up. He tries to speed the car up, though he doesn’t have the same access to the technology Chan does, so he can’t exactly clear the streets. Also, it would be suspicious if he did. It’s best to take as few risks as possible, especially considering how dangerous their line of work is. 

_ “I’m sending a drone after them, but I wanted to hear from you about how it’s going,” _ Yoongi says. Soobin grunts in response and he can hear the other hybrid wince. 

“Not so good,” he says. “We-” He’s interrupted by something hitting the car, and Soobin yanks Yeonjun down. The other hybrid curses and pulls his helmet off. 

“Fuck!” he yells. He grabs his gun and begins reloading it, wiping the blood under his nose. 

“What was that?” Soobin says. Yeonjun pushes his hair back with his hand and sighs, clearly frustrated. 

“Fuckin’ bastards hit us with some sort of . . . I don’t even know. Whatever.” He gets up and grabs his helmet again. “I’m gonna try to shoot it off ‘cause I’m betting that it’s some sort of tracker. Don’t worry, I haven’t been hit.” 

Soobin forces himself not to say ‘yet’. Yeonjun stands up again and pulls his helmet back on, and the gunshots start up again, loud and ringing in Soobin’s ears. It’s totally not distracting at all. 

_ “Everything okay?”  _ Yoongi says. He sounds distracted. Soobin hums and nods, turning to look briefly at the fox hybrid beside him. Yeonjun’s knees shake and fear flashes through Soobin, but, just a second before he can fall, Yeonjun rights himself and he’s back to yelling. 

“Yeah,” Soobin grunts. “It’s just a little rough out here, you know?” 

Yoongi laughs, the sound crackling as it reaches Soobin’s ears. He bites his lip and looks up at Seonghwa again, grumbling about how annoying it is to be in a car chase. 

_ “Yep. I can see. There’s not too much congestion up here, thank goodness,” _ he says. Soobin’s eye catches on something moving close to Seonghwa. It’s a drone, he realizes, buzzing quickly toward the dragon hybrid.  _ “You see me?” _

“Yeah, I see you, Hyung,” Soobin says. He spins the wheel to get out of the way of some highway fence-thing or whatever. “How are Chan-Hyung and Felix, by the way?” 

_ “You sure you can hear it now? It looks like you’re pretty preoccupied.” _

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Soobin says. “I just wish Seonghwa would slow down for a bit.” 

Yoongi laughs again, and a part of Soobin wonders how they’re being so casual. 

_ “I mean, you can cut him some slack since he’s literally running for his life, but yeah, it’s frustrating,”  _ the cat hybrid says. Soobin hums, gritting his teeth. 

“You can say that again,” he says. Yoongi snorts and Soobin sees the drone move closer to Seonghwa. “Anyway, how are Chan-Hyung and Felix?” 

_ “Felix is unconscious, and Chan is getting his shoulder treated. It’s full glass, did you know? He used his shoulder as a fucking shield against a window.” _

Soobin snorts and shakes his head, sighing. 

“Wow,” he says. “Is it bad that I’m not surprised?” 

Yoongi laughs yet again, humming. Someone around him must say something because he curses very suddenly. 

_ “Hey, I’m gonna have to go now. Emergency thing, it’s Joon. Keep your ears open for any messages from him, though, okay?” _

Soobin hums, trying to get the car to go faster. 

“Got it,” he says. Yeonjun shouts victoriously above him. “I’ll keep it in mind. See you back home.” 

_ “See you,” _ Yoongi says. Soobin sighs heavily and shakes his head, glancing back up at Seonghwa. Yoongi’s drone has gotten a lot closer. It’s now clipping the tip of Seonghwa’s tail, trying to latch onto the dragon hybrid. 

“Come on,” Soobin says to himself and the drone, though he doubts it can hear him. “Come on, just a little-”

Yeonjun suddenly slides back into his seat, cursing loudly. Soobin risks a glance at him and doesn’t  _ see _ any blood, so he hopes he’s okay. 

“What’s up? Is everything okay? Did - you’re not hurt, are you?” he asks. Yeonjun yanks his helmet off and shakes his head, his hair a mess. He turns to Soobin and smiles. His nose has stopped bleeding, but there’s still blood on his skin. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he says. He sighs and shakes his head. “Just a little . . . yeah. It’s a bit surprising and unnerving to get shot at.” 

Soobin huffs a laugh, glancing back up at Seonghwa. The dragon is slowing down. Soobin isn’t sure if he should be worried or relieved because there’s no guarantee that Seonghwa or Hongjoong will survive the fall. 

“Stop!” Yeonjun yells suddenly, grabbing him. Soobin slams his foot against the brake just as Seonghwa disappears over a building. Yoongi’s drone follows, but Soobin can also see that it’s being tailed. He doubts that the two machines will be able to stick with the dragon hybrid for much longer. 

“Thanks,” he says. He leans forward, hands hanging over the wheel. He looks up at where Seonghwa flew off to. “What the hell do you think he’s even doing? Where’s he going?” 

Yeonjun sighs, shrugging. He leans back in his seat and looks out the window. 

“Away from here, I’d guess,” he says. “Everyone knows who he is and what he looks like, even if he has wings and horns and a tail. It’d be suicide to stay. Thinking it’s safe is just . . . it’s too risky for him.”

“How long do you think we have before we’re sent to find him?” Soobin asks. Yeonjun shrugs. 

“Probably as soon as we’re all okay,” Yeonjun says. He sighs and shakes his head, stretching his arms. Soobin finds his little squeak to be very cute. 

_ “Soobin? Yeonjun? Are you guys still out?” _ Hoseok says. Soobin hums and nods, adjusting his earpiece so it connects to the car. 

“Yup, we’re still here,” he says. “How is everything?”

Hoseok sucks in air through his teeth. 

_ “That’s something I’ll let you guys decide for yourselves when you get home. But Namjoon wants you guys to go pick some people up.” _

“What? Who?” Yeonjun asks. He leans forward. “Where are they?”

_ “They’re Seonghwa Park’s other hybrid employees, plus a boyfriend,”  _ Hoseok says.  _ “Two dog hybrids and one cheetah hybrid. You’ve met him, his name’s Yeosang? Yeosang Kang?”  _

“Was he the one at the shelter? The cheetah hybrid, he and Jongho are dating or something?” 

Yeonjun snorts at him and turns back to the little screen. 

“Yeah, we know him,” he says. “How long do we have?” 

_ “Try and get there as fast as possible. We told them to head back home if they’re not picked up before curfew, and the building’s pretty far. Think you can make it?”  _

Soobin hums, checking his Mini-Tablet. They’ve got half an hour until curfew, though he wouldn’t be surprised if it’s earlier today because of the bombing. 

“The streets seem empty, right?” he says, turning to Yeonjun. The fox hybrid looks out the window. 

“Hm. Yeah, I’d say so,” he tells him. Soobin grins and starts the car. 

“We’ll be there. Tell them to sit tight, ‘kay, Hobi-Hyung?” he says. Hoseok laughs.

_ “Will do, Soobin. Be careful on your way back, okay? Tell us when you’re close so we can check your injuries,” _ he says. Soobin hums. 

“Bye-bye, Hyung,” Yeonjun says. 

_ “See ya. Be careful, you two.” _

“All right,” Soobin says, turning to Yeonjun, “do you think we’ll be able to fit them all?”

Yeonjun shrugs, turning around to look into the backseat. 

“Uh . . . maybe?” he says. “Just start driving, I’ll try and make some space.” 

Soobin nods and turns the car on, pulling away from the building. He cruises down the highway, thankful for its emptiness, though he wants to put his netting on. Having his ears and tail out after such a big mission makes him feel exposed.

“Here. Can you hold the wheel steady for a bit? I don’t want anyone to see my ears,” he says. Yeonjun nods and leans over. Soobin covers his ears and tail, then he takes the wheel back as Yeonjun does the same. The journey to the  _ VIPER _ building takes an estimated fifteen or so minutes. They have another fifteen minutes left before curfew, though, as Soobin keeps reminding himself, they should try to get home before then because it’s probably going to be earlier. 

“Do you see them?” Soobin says. Yeonjun frowns and grabs a face mask, pulling it over his nose and rolling down the window. He looks outside, head swiveling around. 

“Mm, not - wait! I see them!” 

“Do you want me to stop and for us to go over or do you want to drive over?” Soobin asks. Yeonjun shrugs. 

“I don’t know. We should probably drive. I feel like it’s going to be faster.” Soobin hums and nods in agreement. He can see them now; there are two tall dog hybrids holding hands with Yeosang standing nearby. They all have one suitcase each.

“Yeosang, hey,” Yeonjun says, rolling down the window as they pull up beside the three hybrids. Soobin glances over at them, stopping the car. “You need a ride?” 

Yeosang snorts and gestures to his friends, heading to the back. Soobin opens the trunk and gets out to help them. He has a mask of his own on, though he doubts he’ll be seen as a threat. 

“Here, I’ll take it,” he says to the slightly shorter dog hybrid. He nods. His boyfriend, a golden retriever, squeezes his hand and nods thankfully at Soobin. The panther hybrid loads the last suitcase in and then gets back into the car. 

“All right,” he says as he starts the vehicle up again, “we might as well start with introductions. I’m Soobin, and this is Yeonjun-Hyung. I know Yeosang-Hyung.”

“I’m Yunho, and this is Mingi,” Yunho says. Mingi - the presumed mutt - waves shyly and whispers something to Yunho. Yunho hums and pats his back, and Soobin keeps driving. 

Until, finally, they reach the shelter.

~

Chan presses Felix close to him and shuts his eyes as they fly out of the window. His parachute opens, thankfully, and their fall is somewhat slowed. Nonetheless, Felix is still unconscious. Chan’s shoulder is also probably going to need medical attention, but that can wait. 

The heat of the explosion has Chan’s tail hiding itself between his legs as he curls up, breathing heavily. God, he can’t believe what just happened. Woojin was trying to  _ kill _ Felix. He would’ve gotten away with it too, had Chan not gotten there when he did. He glances down at his boyfriend, a shiver running down his spine. 

“I’m sorry, Lix,” he whispers into his hair, “fuck, I’m so sorry.” 

And, now he’s crying. Great, that’s just great, isn’t it? Chan curses again and tries to wipe his eyes. He’s still quite nervous about dropping Felix, even though he’s using a harness. He just doesn’t want to risk it. 

“Okay, Lix, we’ve just landed,” Chan says. He looks over his shoulder at the burning building. Chan shakes his head at himself and grabs his knife, turning to the parachute and beginning to cut himself and Felix free. Then, all he has to do is find the others. They should be close. Or so he thinks. 

“Hey!” a voice says. Chan looks over his shoulder with wide eyes and curses, undoing the harness. Felix will only slow him down that way, so the wolf hybrid carries his boyfriend bridal style. He knows it’s not the easiest way to carry someone, but Chan also doesn’t want to risk Felix suffering any more injuries than he already does. Besides, it can’t be that far, can it?

Chan grunts and pants as he runs, shoes clapping loudly against the pavement. Through several twists and turns, he’s managed to lose the guards following him. It’s relieving, to say the least. However, Chan still needs to get Felix medical assistance, not to mention the fact that he’s got a target on his back with how clear it is that he’s a hybrid. 

_ Fuck, fuck, fuck, _ he thinks.  _ Where are they? _

Chan looks around, giving himself a few moments to catch his breath. An unconscious body is definitely a lot heavier than one that’s awake. Thankfully, Felix is already pretty light when he’s conscious, so he’s not  _ too _ difficult to carry. Still, Chan  _ is _ running, so the two kind of even each other out. 

The van appears like a modern-day angel. Chan races toward it. Before he can ram into the doors, though, they fly open and the wolf hybrid stumbles in, a relieved sob building in his throat. 

“Holy shit, what happened?!” Taehyung cries. Chan shakes his head and waves his hand as he begins looking for a first aid kit, but he’s forced to sit down by Taehyung. 

“You used your shoulder on the window, didn’t you?” Yoongi says as he comes to kneel beside him. Jimin is driving, thank goodness. 

“Maybe? But get Felix something to help him, he’s - Woojin was choking him when I came in, we have to make sure he’s okay,” Chan says. Taehyung nods. 

“First, though, take that shirt off. I don’t know how much glass there is, but it’s gonna take a pretty long time to get everything out,” he says. Chan obeys, though his eyes are on Felix the entire time. 

Taehyung glances up at him as he tends to the cat hybrid. 

“He seems like he’s going to be okay,” he says gently. He pats Chan on his not-so-injured shoulder. “Felix is a fighter, that’s for sure.”

Chan laughs weakly as he looks down at his boyfriend, leaning against the wall of the van. His shoulder throbs. 

“You can say that again,” he says. “God, he kept telling me to leave him up there. What an idiot.” 

“A selfless one, that’s for sure,” Taehyung says. He begins easing Felix’s shirt off of his torso. “What other - did - do you know if anything else happened to him? I mean, I can see his eye will need ice, but-” 

“He was kicked in the stomach,” Chan says. Anger stews in his stomach. “And they were definitely fighting before I got there. I just don’t know what happened.”

Taehyung hums and nods. 

“Okay, good to know,” he says. “I’m going to have to do an x-ray when we get home, then, just to check for anything internal. He seems to be okay right now.” Taehyung winces then and looks nervously at Chan. “But I don’t know . . . getting choked isn’t - there are side effects sometimes. We’re going to have to be careful with him.” He bites his lip. “I mean-”

“Holy shit,” Yoongi suddenly breathes. And then, not taking his eyes away from the screens he’s using to view the wreckage, he says, “You guys are gonna want to see this. You especially, Chan.”

The wolf hybrid gets to his feet and slowly walks over, resting a hand on the headrest of Yoongi’s chair. 

“What? What is it?” he says. Yoongi pulls up one of the screens viewing the conference room. Chan’s eyes widen. 

“Is that-?”

“Seonghwa,” Yoongi says. He zooms in on the hulking mass of black scales and horns. “Something - how is this even possible? That doesn’t make any sense.” 

“Wait,” Chan says, grabbing his shoulder, “where’s Hongjoong?”

“Who?” 

“His assistant. Hongjoong. He’s a cat hybrid, he shouldn’t-”

“He found him,” Yoongi says. He points at Seonghwa as his wings flutter uselessly by his sides and he throws himself at a small body. Chan can see his shoulders moving up and down. It looks like he’s trying to do CPR, though Seonghwa clearly hasn’t had any training in the activity. This doesn’t seem to stop him. 

“We have to get them out of there. They’re going to die,” Chan says. Yoongi shakes his head. 

“Not right now,” he says. He turns to look at Felix. “It’s too risky for all of us; the place is already swarming with White Guards. See?” Yoongi pulls up another screen, and this one shows the front of the building. Like a huge school of white fish, White Guards have clustered around the entryway. “We’d blow everyone’s cover if we tried to go in.” 

_ He’s right, _ the more professional part of Chan says.  _ You have to leave them behind for now. Felix is the priority right now.  _

“Are they both awake, in the very least?” he says weakly. Yoongi brings the view of the building’s interior back up and zooms in on the two males. Seonghwa is holding Hongjoong and blinking rapidly, sniffling. But the cat hybrid slowly opens his eyes and looks around. Chan wonders how relieved Seonghwa must be if  _ he _ feels like he could cry. 

“Yep,” Yoongi says. He turns to Chan. “I’m going to report in on you and Felix. Joon and the rest of ‘em have been pretty worried about you.” 

Chan hums absent-mindedly and turns to Felix. He’s still unconscious, unsurprisingly. Nonetheless, his stomach twists and he feels a nervous scowl making its way onto his face as he goes to sit beside him. 

“Come over here, dumbass,” Taehyung says quietly. Chan scoots over as the tiger hybrid pulls a pair of gloves on, frowning. 

“I don’t think there’s a lot I can do right now,” he says, examining Chan’s glass-filled shoulder. “We’re in a moving car and trying to take the shards out might just make it worse. So-”

“Oh my God!” Yoongi yells. Everyone looks over. “Is he crazy?!” 

“What? What’s going on? Who is he?” Chan says, leaping to his feet. Yoongi points at the view they have of the roof of the building. There’s a hole there, and something’s coming out of it. 

“Is that-”

“He’s - there have to be guards inside or he’s just plain insane. Doesn’t he hear and  _ see  _ the choppers?” Yoongi says, seemingly to himself. He begins typing something on his computer, pressing his fingers to his earpiece. 

“Joon-ah,” he says, “you see him?” 

_ “I see him.” _

Yoongi hums and nods, glancing at Jimin in the front. 

“What’s the plan? Want us to go after him? Do you think-”

_ “How are Felix and Chan?” _ Namjoon asks.  _ “Taehyung-ah, how’re they looking? What’s your verdict?” _

Taehyung shrugs, checking Felix’s pulse. 

“Chan seems like he’s okay, other than the fact that he crashed his shoulder into a glass window.” Chan smiles and shrugs sheepishly. “Felix, on the other hand . . . I dunno, Hyung. I really want him to get back to the shelter ASAP and I just don’t know if he should be out for any longer than he has to be.” 

Namjoon hums. 

“Yoongi-Hyung has drones, doesn’t he?” Jimin says from the front. He shrugs. “We can just use those and I’ll drive back home. Problem solved, right?” 

_ “Sounds good to me. Taehyung? What’s your verdict?” _

Taehyung hums, glancing over at Chan and then Felix. 

“As long as they both get back to the shelter. I’m all for sending a drone, but nothing else,” he says. He sighs and shakes his head, playing with Felix’s hair. “I just don’t want to risk it.” 

_ “Okay,” _ Namjoon says. Chan can hear how nervous he is.  _ “Yoongi-Hyung, have fun, and I’ll see you guys back home.”  _

“Bye, Hyung!” Chan calls. He can hear Namjoon chuckle, and then he’s gone. 

“All right,” Yoongi says. Chan gets up to stand behind him. “Let’s catch this hybrid.” 

“Hyung, I love you, but please don’t ever talk like that again,” Jimin says. Yoongi gasps, offended, before pulling out a controller and pressing a few buttons. Chan’s ears pick up a faint whirring as Yoongi’s tongue sticks out from concentration. Seonghwa has already gotten a good way away from the Capitol Building. His panic has probably helped since Hongjoong still appears to be unconscious. 

“I’m gonna turn on the camera,” Yoongi says. He reaches around and flicks a switch or two, and then a direct view of what the drone is seeing appears on the screen. Seonghwa’s tail, unlike Namjoon, is covered in shiny black scales, a small ridge of spine trailing along the top. Chan can pick up his panting, even over the sound of his wings. 

“He’s - how hasn’t he noticed us yet?” Chan asks. Yoongi shrugs. 

“Dunno,” he says. “Though I’d probably chalk it up to the fact that he’s absolutely terrified.” He frowns. “And, I mean, he might . . . I dunno. He might have some sort of outside trauma from before, though none of us would know. We can only hope we’ll get him out.” 

“Where do you think he’s going?” Chan asks. 

Yoongi shrugs.

“Haven’t a clue other than the fact that he seems to be keen on escaping the city,” he says. “It’s a pretty reasonable idea, though I hope he has a plan for after that.” 

“If he does, then it’s probably a pretty shitty one,” Jimin says from the front. Yoongi snorts. “I mean, he was probably unconscious for . . . who knows? He’s too nerve-addled to do anything other than run I bet, so it’s unlikely that he could do anything else. That’s just what I think.” 

“Well, let’s hope his plan includes circling back here,” Yoongi says. He takes one hand off of the controller and begins messing around with the large display of little buttons and switches before him. “Anyway, I’m gonna call Soobin to see how it’s going. You guys, sit tight.” 

“Make sure he knows these two are alive!” Taehyung calls, holding an ice pack to Felix’s eye. Yoongi gives him a thumbs-up. 

“I’m sending a drone after him,” Yoongi says, “but I wanted to hear from you how it’s going.” 

They all hear Soobin grunt in response. Yoongi winces, adjusting something. 

_ “Not so good,” _ he says.  _ “We’re-” _

There’s a sudden static and Chan wishes he could pick up the sounds around Soobin, but their earpieces are only good for their own voices and super  _ loud _ background noises. 

_ “Fuck!” _ Yeonjun can be heard yelling. Chan chuckles with everyone else in the car, unable to help himself. 

_ “What was that?” _ Soobin asks, seemingly having forgotten about them. 

_ “Fuckin’ bastards hit us with some sort of . . . I don’t even know. Whatever,” _ Yeonjun growls. There’s some rustling.  _ “I’m gonna try to shoot it off ‘cause I’m betting that it’s some sort of tracker.”  _ Yoongi growls under his breath and tenses in his seat.  _ “Don’t worry, I haven’t been hit.” _

_ Yes, very reassuring, Yeonjun, _ Chan thinks, rolling his eyes a bit. Yeonjun’s always been reckless, especially when it comes to high-stress situations like this one. Then again, in his own words, ‘he hasn’t been hit’. 

Chan just hopes things can stay that way. 

“Everything okay?” Yoongi asks. It sounds like he’s preoccupied with something. With one glance at the screens his eyes are glued to, Chan can confirm such because Seonghwa is weaving around something and Yoongi’s trying to keep up. Well then. 

_ “Yeah. It’s just a little rough out here, you know?” _ Soobin says, his teeth gritted. Yoongi laughs a bit and shrugs his shoulders.

“Yep, I can see,” he says. “There’s not too much congestion up here, thank goodness.” He hums and moves the drone a little closer to Seonghwa. “You see me?”

There’s a pause, presumably because Soobin is looking for the drone. And then he chuckles. 

_ “Yeah, I see you, Hyung,” _ he says. Yoongi hums.  _ “How are Chan-Hyung and Felix, by the way?” _

Yoongi pauses, turning to look back at Chan. And then he looks down at Felix, and Chan can tell that he’s unsure about telling Soobin. On one hand, he should have closure, but, on the other, it might distract him from catching Seonghwa. 

Finally, he says, “You sure you can hear it now? It looks like you’re pretty preoccupied.”

Soobin doesn’t waste a single second before he tells them,  _ “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” _ He sighs, sounding a bit annoyed _. “I just wish Seonghwa would slow down for a bit.” _

Yoongi laughs. Chan finds himself sitting beside Felix, glancing over at his own bloodied shoulder. A lot of blood has dried on it, leaving the pale skin a collage of reds and pinkish-white. A shard of glass is sticking out, and Chan reaches around himself to pull it out. 

“We’re almost home!” Jimin yells. Yoongi and Soobin are still talking, though now Yoongi’s looking back at them. 

_ Should I tell them? _ he mouths. When Chan frowns, he gestures at the wolf hybrid and Felix. 

Chan shrugs. 

“Sure,” he says. “I mean, they should know, don’t you think?” 

Yoongi hums. 

“Felix is unconscious, and Chan is getting his shoulder treated,” he says, turning around to shoot Chan a glare. “It’s full glass, did you know? He used his shoulder as a fucking shield against a window.”

Chan laughs nervously and shrugs helplessly. Soobin snorts.

_ “Wow,” _ he says.  _ “Is it bad that I’m not surprised?” _

Chan laughs, finally noticing how lightheaded he is. He slumps against the van. Taehyung clicks his tongue and shakes his head as he shuffles over, shaking his head in disapproval. 

“You should be-”

“Hey, I’m gonna have to go now,” Yoongi says. “Emergency thing, it’s Joon. Keep your ears open for any messages from him, though, okay?” 

_ “Got it. I’ll keep it in mind,” _ Soobin says.  _ “See you back home.” _

“See you,” Yoongi says, already messing around with the comms. 

Chan looks up with Taehyung, biting his lower lip. Yoongi presses his finger to his lips and then changes the channel. 

_ “Yoongi-Hyung.” _ Namjoon is breathless, panting and . . . something else. Desperate, maybe. 

“I know, Joon. I saw.” 

_ “He’s a dragon, Hyung. I’m not the only one.” _

Yoongi hums, his tongue peeking out. His fingers fly over the controls as he tries to focus on Seonghwa, but it seems like they’re being followed themselves. 

“We’re almost home, by the way,” Yoongi says conversationally. “Chan and Felix are going to need to go to the infirmary; what do you want the rest of us to do?”

_ “Keep following Seonghwa for as long as possible,” _ Namjoon says quickly.  _ “We can’t let him get caught. That could lead to . . . I don’t even know. But he’s definitely going to be used against us if they do. However, you can’t risk the shelter.” _ Chan can hear the strain in Namjoon’s voice, even through the growing fog settling over his mind. He plays idly with Felix’s hair. 

“Sounds good, Joon-ah,” Yoongi says. He turns off the comms and sighs, turning back to the screen and cursing. 

“Chan-ah, hold on for a little longer,” Taehyung says gently, patting his arm. Chan turns to look at him. “You said something about Woojin, didn’t you? Is he alive?” 

Chan bites his lip, shrugging and sighing.

“Haven’t a clue,” he says finally. He turns to look at the screens Yoongi scrutinizes. “I really wish I did though.”

“Dammit!” Yoongi yells suddenly. Chan lifts his head weakly to see the screen showing Seonghwa go static. “They got us.” 

“Seonghwa? Or do you mean the drone?” Taehyung says. He gets up. “You had to activate-”

“-Self-destruct, yeah,” Yoongi says, clearly frustrated. He sighs angrily. “I just - dammit, I should’ve been more careful. I mean, they won’t be getting any information, but Seonghwa still got away. I don’t think the others were following him either.” He sighs again. 

“Well,” Jimin says gently from the front of the van, “it slowed them down too. Now they’ll have to find him as well.” 

Yoongi shrugs, getting up and running a hand through his hair. 

“I guess so,” he says. He’s still frustrated. “I’m just worried.” 

“Who isn’t?” Taehyung says as the van finally pulls to a stop. He sighs. “We need to move Felix, though. Jimin, help me?” 

The fox hybrid nods and gets up, walking over to help lift the stretcher. Yoongi opens the van doors and helps Chan out. Taehyung and Jimin follow not long after, and then they head down to the shelter. 

“You’re coming with us to the infirmary,” Taehyung says firmly. Chan laughs, though even he can’t deny how he’s leaning on Yoongi. 

“Hobi-Hyung, can you get Felix’s vitals and hook him up to some oxygen thing?” Taehyung says. Hoseok nods and gets up, just as Seokin and Namjoon appear.

“You’re safe,” Seokjin breathes, pulling the wolf hybrid into his arms. Chan laughs weakly and allows himself to melt into the embrace, though the tears are already pooling in his eyes. Seokjin has always been able to do that quickly. “Oh my goodness, I was so worried.” 

“How’s Felix doing?” Namjoon says. He helps Chan sit down, even though he’s the one with the cane. “He’s gonna be alright?” 

“We need to run an x-ray to make sure everything’s okay on the inside, though he seems like he’ll wake up pretty soon,” Taehyung says. He pats Chan on the head as he walks by. “Channie here played the knight in shining armor.” 

Chan groans and shakes his head as Hoseok pulls on a pair of rubber gloves and walks over. 

“God, no, don’t say that,” he says. Hoseok begins removing the shards of glass. He sterilizes the little cuts after he’s done. 

“You feelin’ lightheaded at all, Chan-ah?” Hoseok asks. Chan hums. 

“He seems to be,” Seokjin says. He shakes his head. “I’m going to go make something with beef in it. He’s looking even paler than usual.” 

“Hey!” 

“He’s right, you are,” a new voice says, and everyone looks up to see Minho leaning against the doorway. He walks over and sits on the bed opposite of Chan. “You dumb fuck, why did you use your  _ shoulder _ ?” 

“Adrenaline rush,” Chan mumbles as Hoseok begins bandaging his shoulder up, whistling as he does. His eyelids are starting to get heavy, and it hits him, then. He is absolutely exhausted, even though it’s not even past noon (or so he thinks). 

“You tired?” Hoseok says. Chan hums and nods sleepily. The dog hybrid laughs. “That’s fine. You should get some rest, anyway. We’ll wake you up when the others get back.” 

“O-Okay,” Chan says. And then, at long last, he falls asleep. 

~

_ “Wake up, wake up,  _ please _ , wake up.” _ Lips press against his own, the hands on his chest stopping their compressions for a few seconds.  _ “Hongjoong, goddammit!” _

_ Wake up, wake up, it’s not safe here, _ a voice in Hongjoong’s head sings. He doesn’t want to. But Seonghwa needs him. His voice is breaking and desperate, and Hongjoong can’t bear the thought of hurting him.

His lungs are burning when he opens his eyes. He gasps desperately, the familiar sensation of his inhaler pressing against his lips helping him a bit. He’s hot, terribly so, and he can hear the fire crackling. Someone presses their forehead against his own and sobs. 

“Oh my God, you’re  _ alive, _ ” Seonghwa says raspily. Hongjoong releases a soft whimper as he tries to blink himself into being fully awake. He reaches up slowly, looking for something to ground himself with, and finds a pair of smooth black horns. They’re surprisingly cold despite the fact that the room they’re in is  _ literally on fire. _

Seonghwa, however, seems to be surprised by something. He shoves Hongjoong away and scrambles back, his golden eyes wide and terrified. Now that they’re not so close, Hongjoong can sort of guess why; along with his horns, Seonghwa has sprouted a pair of giant black dragon wings as well as a long black tail. 

_ He’s still Seonghwa, though, _ Hongjoong thinks.  _ He’s still my boyfriend, still one of the nicest people in the world.  _

“Hw-Hwa?” he stammers weakly. Seonghwa swallows hard and shakes his head. He gets to his feet quickly, stepping even farther away from Hongjoong. Hongjoong’s stomach does flips and his heart tries to break out of his chest.

“No, Hongjoong, you have to leave,” Seonghwa says, his voice shaking. He takes a step forward and then quickly steps back. “You have to run.” 

_ No! _ something fierce in Hongjoong cries.  _ No! You said we’d do this together! _

The cat hybrid shakes his head and lifts his hands. Maybe to beg, maybe to pray, he doesn’t know. 

“Hwa, we’re-”

“No, you have to run, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa says. He walks forward and Hongjoong feels a glimmer of hope; maybe he’s changed his mind in the blink of an eye?

But no. Seonghwa simply helps Hongjoong to his feet.

“I’ll deal with the guards,” the dragon says, “you just-”

Hongjoong can’t hold his weight any longer. He falls like a ragdoll, crying already. Seonghwa isn’t much better as he catches him. 

“No, you can’t do that, sweetie,” he whispers, shaking his head. “Joongie, darling, you have to  _ run _ . I know - find Chief Bang, he’ll help you. Just - just  _ run, _ for fuck’s sake,  _ Hongjoong!” _

Hongjoong pulls him close and presses his face into his chest. Seonghwa smells like smoke, but he can still pick up hints of wine and fruity lollipops. He can still make out the scent of  _ Seonghwa. _

“Hongjoong, you have to  _ leave, _ ” Seonghwa whispers as Hongjoong’s eyelids start to fall. He’s shaken by the older male, but, by then, Hongjoong’s already unconscious.

The next time he wakes up, it’s to the wind whistling in his ears. Hongjoong immediately wraps his arms around Seonghwa’s neck and buries his face in the crook of his neck, releasing a quiet sob. Seonghwa holds him close and nuzzles the side of his face. The sound of his wings beating rivals that of the wind’s shrieking, though Hongjoong knows he likes the sound his boyfriend makes more than the wind’s. His heart thunders in his chest and he can feel Seonghwa’s doing the same. It’s cold up here, freezing, really - Hongjoong wonders how Seonghwa hasn’t yet gone into a coma. 

_ He’s ectothermic, isn’t he? Because he’s a dragon? _ Hongjoong thinks. He’s definitely not in his right mind, he can tell that much. In the very least, though, he has enough sense to cling to Seonghwa like there’s no tomorrow. Because, well, if he doesn’t, then he supposes there really  _ will _ be no tomorrow.

“How’re you doing, Hongjoong-ah?” Seonghwa pants. His lips are right next to Hongjoong’s ears, and the cat hybrid nods. 

“Cold,” he whispers. Seonghwa hums and pulls him closer. His claws dig into Hongjoong’s clothes and the cat hybrid can feel them against his skin. He realizes, then, that his shoes are gone.

“Just hold on for a little longer,” Seonghwa says. Hongjoong can hear how he’s gritting his teeth. “I swear, I’ll get us out of here. Just hold on for a little longer.” 

Hongjoong sniffles and nods, hiding his face in the crook of Seonghwa’s neck. His scent is strongest here, at least when it’s compared to all of the places Hongjoong has access to. The smoky undertone is nice and all, but Hongjoong still prefers the actual Seonghwa smell. Home-cooked Korean food and expensive wine and money and just . . . Hongjoong can’t describe it. He doesn’t want to use the word ‘home’ just yet . . . he and Seonghwa haven’t exactly been dating for the longest time. 

It starts to rain, though Hongjoong soon finds that to be far from his concern. The longer they fly, the more conscious he gets. And, because of that, Hongjoong has started picking up on the sirens. And, unfortunately, the gunshots. 

“Seonghwa!” he shrieks, though it’s against his better judgment. Seonghwa grunts and tightens his hold on him. “We’re being-”

“Yeah, I know,” the dragon hybrid says. His hair is wet and it sticks to his head. “Just hold tight. I’m going to get us out of here. We can’t stay in the city.” 

_ Well, that’s something I can 100% agree with, _ Hongjoong thinks. His claws shoot out, sinking into Seonghwa’s shirt. He must’ve taken off his jacket while they were still in the building. Hongjoong, selfishly, wishes he’d saved it or that they could go back to get it, though he knows that is, most likely, a suicide mission. And right now, Seonghwa’s number one priority appears to be getting out of the city. Which, to anyone, should make perfect sense.

“I’m sorry,” Seonghwa whispers. Hongjoong yelps as  _ something _ grazes his ear. Seonghwa growls angrily, his golden eyes glowing dimly. He turns around and Hongjoong swears he sees flames leap from Seonghwa’s mouth, though the rain puts them out quickly. However, the smoke Hongjoong can smell makes him wonder. 

Hongjoong doesn’t know how long they fly. He just knows that, at some point, Seonghwa begins to tire. The beating of his wings begins to slow too. Hongjoong presses himself closer to Seonghwa and sighs.

“Thank you,” he says quietly. Seonghwa’s gliding now, only using his wings when they begin to lose momentum. 

The dragon hums, shrugging a bit. The moonlight and water both look ethereal on his scales and horns.

“For what?” he asks. 

“For bringing me with you,” Hongjoong says. He kisses Seonghwa’s jaw. “You saved my life yet again.” 

Seonghwa hums, chuckling quietly. He nuzzles Hongjoong and kisses his nose, smiling.

“Well,” he says, “we’re in this together, aren’t we? That’s what you said.” 

Hongjoong pouts at him. 

“You wanted to go on your own, though, so you still owe me,” he says. Seonghwa snorts and shakes his head, nipping at his earlobe. Hongjoong squeaks, surprised, and Seonghwa laughs at him. What a meanie. 

“You’re so mean to me,” he whines. Seonghwa giggles. 

“I’ve never said that I’m nice before,” he says. Hongjoong scowls at him. 

“ ‘I’ve never said that I’m nice before’ ,” he mocks. Seonghwa snorts yet again. Hongjoong squeals when the dragon hybrid blows a raspberry against his skin, pawing at his shoulder. 

“You, my sweet Hongjoong,” Seonghwa says, “are too much. You’re simply ridiculous.”

“Thanks, I try to be,” Hongjoong says, giggling. It leads to Seonghwa rolling his eyes, though his smile is warm and fond as they fly through the air. It’s warmed up a little bit because Seonghwa is no longer trying to go as fast as possible, though Hongjoong still shivers a bit. 

“What are we going to do?” the cat hybrid wonders aloud. He wishes he could’ve done so even more quietly, though, because he can feel Seonghwa tense. 

“We’ll figure something out,” he says, nodding. “There are places we can go, people who will take care of us - while I don’t blame you for worrying about our situation, I still think that it isn’t hopeless. There’s always a way.” 

Hongjoong hums. 

“Hopefully,” he says. He turns and smiles at Seonghwa, combing his fingers through his hair. “At least we have each other, right?”

Seonghwa laughs and kisses him softly. 

“Yeah,” he says when he pulls away. His eyes are warm and gentle. “Yeah, at least we have each other.” 

Hongjoong ends up falling asleep in Seonghwa’s arms. He’s not quite sure how he does it. After all, they’re . . . super high in the air and one false move could lead to  _ both _ of their deaths, and that wouldn’t be very fun, would it? No, certainly not, it’d be quite the opposite. Sure, the odds don’t look great for them, but that doesn’t mean that Hongjoong wants them to just  _ die _ . He thinks they’ve got a fighting chance.

“Hongjoong-ah,” Seonghwa whispers, his breath tickling Hongjoong’s ear. “Kitty, we’ve gotta get up and find somewhere to sleep. Come on.” 

Hongjoong grunts and sits up, rubbing his eyes. Seonghwa smiles at him and helps him to his feet. 

“Where . . . where are we?” Hongjoong asks sleepily. Seonghwa shrugs and pulls him close. They appear to be in some sort of alleyway, and, hopefully, it’ll work as a hiding place. 

_ For now, at least, _ Hongjoong thinks as he looks around.  _ I doubt we’d be able to stay here for too long. _

“Come on, Hongjoong, over here,” Seonghwa says, patting a little nest-like space. Hongjoong climbs in and notes how it smells like ash instead of garbage. 

“Did you do something to this stuff?” he asks. Seonghwa hums, using one of his wings to pull Hongjoong closer.

“Mm. Maybe,” the dragon hybrid says. He sighs. “Now go to sleep. We’ve had a long day.” 

“You can say that again,” Hongjoong mumbles. He curls up close to Seonghwa. “Did you even know that would happen?” 

“That what would happen?” 

“That you’d become a dragon hybrid,” Hongjoong says. He yawns. “How - like, how does that even happen in the first place? I didn’t even know that dragon hybrids  _ existed _ .” 

“They’re around, though they’re few and far in between,” Seonghwa murmurs. His voice is low and deep, and Hongjoong can feel the vibrations. “Really, though, I have no idea how this happened.” He stops as a yawn interrupts him. “It doesn’t . . . I dunno.” 

“Maybe we can do tests when everything’s okay,” Hongjoong says optimistically. Seonghwa hums and presses his face into his hair, not answering. “What do you think, Hwa?” 

“I don’t know,” Seonghwa says quietly. He sighs. “I just . . . I just hope that we’re all okay after this. And that we can go back at some point.” 

“Do you think we can?” 

Seonghwa pauses, not answering. Hongjoong twists his neck to look up at him, chewing on his bottom lip. 

“I don’t . . . I don’t know,” Seonghwa finally says. He sounds frustrated, and reasonably so. “I wish I did, though.” 

Hongjoong hums. Seonghwa’s hair is still a little wet from the rain earlier, though Hongjoong doesn’t mind. It’s soft as he runs his fingers through it, though he knows that he has to be careful of the two large horns coming from his head. 

“Are you okay?” he whispers. Seonghwa hums curiously, tilting his head. 

“It feels like  _ I _ should be asking  _ you _ that,” he says. Hongjoong shrugs. 

“You just turned into a dragon and your entire brand might’ve just been destroyed because it’s been revealed that you’re some sort of hybrid,” Hongjoong says. He kisses Seonghwa softly, seeking comfort in the familiarity of his lips. “It’s okay to be scared.” 

Seonghwa hums again. He shrugs, pulling Hongjoong closer to him.

“I’ve been in situations like this,” he says, sounding a bit dazed. “At first, I didn’t even let people drive me around if I had a choice.”

Hongjoong hums, knotting his fingers in Seonghwa’s hair.

“I’m terrified, honestly,” Seonghwa says. He laughs nervously. “When Minseok-Hyung and I were running, that was . . . it’s . . . it’s probably one of the scariest things that’s ever happened to me. I was eight years old and I had to see my entire family murdered.” 

“I know,” Hongjoong says. He kisses the space where Seonghwa’s jawline meets his neck. “But we’re going to get through this. You - we can do it. We have each other.” 

Seonghwa laughs softly, lifting his hand to pet Hongjoong’s hair. His claws are longer and sharper, though Hongjoong doesn’t mind. He knows that Seonghwa won’t hurt him.

“What about you?” Seonghwa says then. “How are you feeling after all of this? Do you have your inhaler? Are you cold?” 

Hongjoong lifts his inhaler out of his pocket and Seonghwa sighs, relieved. 

“I’m not cold,” the cat hybrid says. He smiles at Seonghwa. “You’re actually pretty warm.” 

Seonghwa laughs. 

“Is that a surprise?” 

“Kind of. Aren’t dragons reptiles? And aren’t reptiles ectothermic?” Hongjoong says. Seonghwa giggles again and leans down to kiss his cheek. 

“I dunno, baby. Maybe dragons are different.” 

Hongjoong hums, nodding. He reaches around and grabs Seonghwa’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Seonghwa’s hands are much bigger than his own, long-fingered with large palms. His claws make them even bigger too. Even if Hongjoong shows his own little claws, Seonghwa’s hands are still bigger than his.

“You have such big hands, Hyung,” he says. Seonghwa laughs gently and begins kissing down the length of his neck, humming. 

“Or you might just have small hands, dearest,” he says. Hongjoong pouts and shakes his head. 

“Hyung’s hands are big,” he says. Seonghwa shakes his head and kisses him, squeezing Hongjoong’s hand in his own. 

“Mmm. Okay, whatever you say, sweetie,” he says. Hongjoong nods and pulls Seonghwa closer.

“Hyung?” he says quietly. 

Seonghwa hums. 

“Good night,” Hongjoong whispers. Seonghwa smiles down at him and kisses his forehead.

“Good night, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa says. Hongjoong sighs and closes his eyes, falling asleep. 

Finally, he’s not in a situation where he could potentially die when he wakes up. Instead, he’s with his very loving boyfriend, and they’re cuddling together in a little nest-thing. 

Hongjoong sits up slowly, though only after he’s wiggled out from under Seonghwa’s wing. The dragon used the appendages as blankets (sort of), though Hongjoong doesn’t want to wake him. He looks really tired.

_ Okay, _ Hongjoong thinks,  _ we need food, and we need somewhere to go. And water. _ He looks down at his tattered skirt and blouse, and then his shoeless feet.  _ And clothes because it’s going to be hell walking around in this. Also, Seonghwa’s wearing a suit. So we need clothes.  _

Hongjoong sighs, biting his lip. He drums his nails on his thigh as he looks out at what parts of the city he can see. 

_ How on earth are we going to do this? It seems like  _ everything _ is  _ against _ us, _ he thinks. Hongjoong sighs, turning back to Seonghwa. 

Two big, golden eyes stare back at him. Seonghwa gets up slowly, his wings stretching as wide as they can go. And then he turns to Hongjoong. 

“Ready to go?” he says. 


	3. Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan starts to get ready for another mission, Soobin begins looking through Hongjoong's things, and Hongjoong becomes a (pretty justified) thief.

The infirmary is open when Chan wakes up again. Felix is lying still in his bed, at least, and Chan feels regret wash over him at the sight. He shakes his head and pinches himself. 

_ No,  _ he thinks,  _ it’s not my fault.  _

Chan sighs and gets up slowly. His shoulder is sore but bandaged, and he doesn’t feel nearly as lightheaded as he did when he got home. That’s gotta be a good sign, right?

However, something that certainly is  _ not _ a good sign is the color of the bruises on Felix’s neck. Chan can’t believe he didn’t notice them before. They’re in the shapes of fingerprints and they remind Chan far too much of when they first found Felix. The cat hybrid had been drugged so much that he could hardly walk and his skin had been a myriad of bruises. Chan has never tried to figure out why. It’s none of his business, really, and Felix doesn’t like talking about it. No one really blames him. 

Chan sighs softly and walks over to Felix’s bed. The cat hybrid looks peaceful, his eyes closed as his chest moves up and down. His breathing seems fine and the steady beat of his heart monitor soothes a lot of Chan’s worries. The wolf hybrid closes his eyes and lowers his ears, his shoulders loosening as he plays with Felix’s hair. 

_ I’m sorry, Lix, _ he thinks, biting his lower lip.  _ I’m really sorry. _

Already, he can hear Felix yelling at him. He’d probably say that it wasn’t his fault, that he couldn’t have done anything. And, honestly? The little Felix sitting on his shoulder makes a good point. Chan had no  _ idea _ if Woojin was even  _ alive _ , nor did he know that he’d be there. So it really isn’t his fault. 

“Thanks, sunshine,” Chan says. He turns to Felix and smiles softly at him. The cat hybrid’s ears had twitched at the nickname. “I’ll see you when you wake up, huh?” 

Felix doesn’t respond, but Chan walks out of the infirmary anyway. There are two new scents in the halls, he notes, and he wonders whom they belong to. His nose scrunches up as he picks up very clear hints of canine, so that’s one thing down. Two new canine hybrids of some sort, that’s for sure. 

“Oh! You’re awake!” Yeonjun says when he sees him. Chan shrugs. 

“More or less, yeah,” he says. The fox hybrid laughs. 

“Wow, very funny, Hyung,” he says. Chan offers an awkward pair of finger guns. 

“That’s me.”

Yeonjun snorts and shakes his head. 

“Sure, okay,” he says. “Anyway, Yoongi-Hyung sent me down to see if you were awake. He wants to know if you wanna help him look for camera footage on Seonghwa or not.” 

Chan hums and shrugs. 

“Yeah, sure,” he says. “I need to do something. It’ll be nice to . . . I dunno.” 

“If you were gonna say ‘focus on something else’, then I’m not sure if this is the job you’re really looking for,” Yeonjun says. Chan shrugs again.

“Still better than sitting in the infirmary, wouldn’t you agree? We’ve both spent our fair share of time in there, haven’t we?” 

Yeonjun hums, nodding in agreement. 

“You’ve probably been in there more than I have, though,” he says. He glances over. “You’ve been doing this work for longer than I have, after all.” 

“Eh, it’s more or less the same,” Chan says. He looks over. “How are you and Soobin doing, by the way?” 

Yeonjun laughs and slings an arm around his shoulder. 

“Well,” he says, “my boyfriend is an absolute  _ beast _ in bed if that’s what you’re wondering.” 

“Oh my God, I did  _ not _ need to know that,” Chan groans, covering his eyes. “Holy shit,  _ why _ do you have to be  _ like _ this?” 

Yeonjun cackles as he walks away, fluffy tail wagging behind him. Chan scrubs his eyes and tries to think of everything  _ but _ that information bomb Yeonjun dropped on him. Holy shit,  _ why _ ?

He walks down the hall until he reaches Yoongi and Jimin’s room, still rubbing his eyes. He knocks on the door, ears twitching. 

“Come in!” Yoongi calls. The door slides open and Chan walks in, his eyes widening. 

Jimin has taken refuge on the bed, but, other than that small island of peace, Yoongi has taken over the bedroom. Computers and other bits of technology are scattered all over the place, and the cat hybrid has also brought Jeongguk in. Of course, because Jeongguk tends to build things, he’s scattered his supplies all over the floor. Yeosang is talking to him as they work together on what looks to be a sort of drone. Seungmin and Yoongi, on the other hand, are searching through their computers, and a large pile of plug-ins sits nearby. 

“What the hell is going on here?” he asks. Everyone looks up and shrugs simultaneously. 

“Seungmin and I are looking for security footage on Seonghwa,” Yoongi says, gesturing to himself and the dog hybrid. 

“And we’re also trying to get the floorplan of his building and penthouse,” Seungmin adds. 

“Mingi probably knows it,” Yeosang says as he fiddles with something. Jeongguk’s large ears twitch and he turns to offer help. The cheetah hybrid shakes his head and keeps working, smiling in thanks. 

“Oh!” Jeongguk says. He looks up at Chan and waves. “Yeosang and I are trying to develop drones that’ll be harder to track, but easier for us to use. Yoongi-Hyung’s working on developing a plan for them.” 

“And I’m hiding over here,” Jimin says, waving at Chan. The wolf hybrid snorts and walks over to sit with him, dodging around all of the little gadgets scattered around the bedroom floor.

“So I’m assuming they don’t need any help?” he asks. Jimin shrugs. 

“They’ll want snacks sooner or later, but yeah, you’re pretty much right,” he says. He sighs and shakes his head, smiling fondly. “It’s fun to watch, though. If you ignore the fact that Yeosang and Yoongi-Hyung both curse like sailors.” 

As if to prove his point, Yoongi suddenly yells, “Fuck!” and slams his hands against the keyboard. Seungmin looks over and the cat hybrid shakes his head, growling under his breath.

“Is everything okay, Hyung?” Jeongguk asks. 

Yoongi huffs angrily in response. His hands fly over the keyboard and the sound of hurried typing fills the air, mixed in with quiet cursing in Korean. 

“This is such bullshit,” Yoongi says. He turns to Yeosang. “What kind of security did he have installed on his shit? How are we supposed to get  _ any _ information?” 

“You aren’t,” Yeosang says simply. 

“Goddammit,” Yoongi grumbles. He beckons Seungmin over. “Do we have anything that would make it so the information would be deleted after we have it?” 

“Are his medical records in there? Is that what you're looking for?” Chan asks from the bed. Yoongi hums and nods. 

“Yeah,” Seungmin says. “Namjoon-Hyung wants us to get a DNA sample - preferably of his blood - to do tests on to figure out what the hell happened.” 

“He knows he’s a hybrid, doesn’t he?” Chan asks. 

Yoongi hums, nodding. 

“Yeah,” he says. “I mean if anyone didn’t know that by now, then-”

“I meant, like, that he’s been a hybrid for the entire time.” Chan swallows hard. “Does he know that Seonghwa-”

“Yeah,” Yoongi interrupts. He nods and looks down at his hands. “He and Joon . . . well, it’s not really . . . I think Joon will tell you when he wants to, but they’ve been communicating for a pretty long time. That’s how we picked you up,” he says, gesturing to Yeosang. Chan wonders if he too knew Seonghwa’s secret too. After all, he seems to be taking the reveal pretty well.

“Mr. Park has always been quite a character,” the cheetah hybrid says idly. He uses his claws to pick something out of something else. “He’s . . . he’s strange. He’s always been.” Yeosang sighs. “I mean, the mystery around him certainly helped build his fame because who  _ doesn’t _ love the idea of some tortured designer?”

“Did he ever tell you anything?” Jeongguk asks. 

Yeosang shrugs. 

“I doubt he’d remember it,” he says. He shrugs again. “He’s an alcoholic, you know. He drinks a lot, though he’s never had a good concept as to when it becomes too much for him. Just blabbed about a shitty childhood. His parents wanted to marry him off because he was gay, this and that. The basics.” 

“What-”

“His arranged marriage is practically ‘surface information’ if you ask any of his employees,” Yeosang explains. “Mr. Park has probably told that story more times than I can count. He doesn’t blast it to the public, but, if he’s given you an opportunity to  _ go _ somewhere in life, you’ll get the talk. Just ask Mingi.” 

“Who?” Chan says. 

“Oh, right,” Seungmin says, nodding. “You haven’t met him yet.” 

“Just one of two chaotic dog hybrids,” Yeosang says, waving his hand dismissively. “Yunho is more of the brains, though they could both try to be the ‘brawn’. They’re both pretty dumb, though.” 

Chan hums and nods. 

“Can’t imagine how they’ll be any different from the rest of us,” he says. Yeosang laughs. Yoongi glares at him over his shoulder and Seungmin shakes his head.

“Am I the brains or the brawn of my relationship?” Jeongguk leans over to ask Yoongi. The cat hybrid turns and gives him a once-over. He scoffs and shakes his head, sighing heavily. 

“Take a guess,” he grumbles as he starts working again. “You think we nicknamed you ‘muscle bunny’ ‘cause you’re studying all the time?” 

Jeongguk pouts and turns away, continuing to work on one of the little drones. Chan snorts and shakes his head, leaning his head on Jimin’s shoulder. 

“We’re planning on going over everything at dinner since we’re all pretty sure that Felix is gonna be awake by then. You’ll get introduced to everyone there,” Jimin says. Chan hums and nods, closing his eyes. 

“M’kay,” he murmurs. He sighs. “Sounds good.” 

Jimin snorts and looks over. 

“You tired?” Jimin asks. Chan hums and nods. “Didn’t you just take a nap?” 

“Yeah, but that’s  _ different _ ,” the wolf hybrid argues. Jimin snorts.

“In what way? Please, do tell, I’d really like to know,” he says. “You insomniacs and your strange sleeping habits.” 

“I heard that,” Yoongi grumps from his spot on the floor. Jimin laughs and gets up and walks over, sitting behind him. 

“Sorry, grumpy,” he says, nuzzling him. “I’ll try harder to be quiet next time.” Yoongi huffs angrily and keeps typing, but Chan can hear him purring under his breath. 

They spend a pretty long time in the room before Seokjin comes in. 

“I’m looking for Chan?” he says. Chan gets up slowly and waves sleepily, eliciting a laugh from the phoenix hybrid. Seokjin walks over and lifts him up, grunting with effort, and then he places him on the ground. 

“Felix is awake and he wants to see you,” he says. Chan hums and nods, holding onto Seokjin as they walk down the hall together. The infirmary doors open quietly and Chan steps inside after Seokjin, smiling at Felix. 

“Hey there, sunshine,” he says. Felix smiles back and beckons him over. Chan sits on the bed and Felix pulls him into a hug, nuzzling the side of his neck. 

“It sure doesn’t  _ look _ like you’re beating yourself up about what happened,” he says. Chan chuckles and pulls away to look at him, cupping his face. 

“Yeah, well, a little friend of mine told me that not everything is my fault,” Chan says. Felix giggles and kisses him, and his lips are soft and warm and familiar against Chan’s own. 

“That’s right,” he says, running his fingers through Chan’s hair with a soft smile on his face. “You should listen to that little friend more.” 

Chan hums and begins kissing the freckles splattered across Felix’s face trying to reach as many as he can. The swelling in his eye has gone down, thank goodness, and his voice isn’t as hoarse as it was when they were still in the building. Chan would be lying if he said these things didn’t relax him. 

“How’re you feeling?” he asks gently, sitting back. 

Felix shrugs, then he reaches up to his throat. His fingers pass over the bruises gingerly, and Chan feels a stab of guilt. He knows Felix can tell because, just a second later, he’s punched in the arm. 

“Quit feeling bad for my injuries, dumbass,” he says. Chan laughs nervously and shrugs, scratching the back of his neck. Felix clicks his tongue and shakes his head disapprovingly, sighing. 

“I’m sorry,” he says. Felix huffs and nips him, drawing a yelp from the older hybrid. 

“Shut up,” comes his response. He wraps his arms around Chan and pulls him close, burying his face in his chest. Then, his voice muffled, he says, “I wouldn’t have lived without you coming to get me back there.” 

“Of course, I went back for you,” Chan says, frowning. He finds it quite silly that Felix would thank him for this. “You’re my best friend and boyfriend, Lixie. There’s no way I’d leave you behind.” 

Felix hums, hooking his chin over Chan’s shoulder. Chan combs his fingers through soft, blond locks, giggling quietly as Felix’s tail snakes around his hand and wraps around his palm. 

“It likes you,” the cat hybrid mumbles drowsily. Chan hums and kisses the side of his neck. 

“I like it too,” he says. He pulls away, grinning goofily at Felix. “But I like you even more.” 

Felix laughs and kisses him. Chan kisses back, just as passionately and sweetly. Ever since their first kiss, Chan hasn’t been able to get enough of Felix’s lips. They’re just so cute and mesmerizing and pretty, and believe Chan when he says he never thought he’d say that about someone’s  _ mouth _ . 

“Your mouth is so cute and little,” Chan mumbles as they give each other light, lip-only kisses. Felix giggles, and Chan continues by saying, “It’s so strange to think about how many curse words come out of it.” 

“Fucker,” Felix says, only further proving Chan’s point. He laughs and lifts Felix up, setting him down in his lap.

“I know you love me, though,” he says. Felix hums and kisses him yet again, though this one is open-mouthed. It’s slow and languid, the kind that makes Chan’s insides turn gooey as he gently holds Felix’s hips.

“I do,” Felix says, his eyes droopy and happy when he pulls away. Chan laughs and hugs him.

“I love you too,” he says. He tightens his grip on Felix, biting his lip harshly because, somehow, his eyes have begun to well up. His chest aches too. God, he just loves Felix so much. “I just - I love you so much, Lixie.”

Felix kisses the top of his head, his tail wrapping around Chan.

“Me too,” he whispers. “I’m so lucky I get to be your boyfriend.” 

Chan sniffles and looks up, basking in the presence of the god in his arms. 

“Lixie, have I ever told you that it fucking  _ hurts _ because I love you so much?” he asks. “When - when I think about you, my chest aches, and I want to cry because I’m just so lucky to be with you. God, you’re just - you’re magnificent.”

Felix laughs and smiles down at him, combing his fingers through Chan’s hair.

“So are you,” he says sweetly. He kisses Chan’s forehead. “I love you so, so much, Channie-Hyung, I don’t think you’d understand.” 

“Mmm.”

“Am . . . am I interrupting anything?” a new voice says. They both turn around to see Hueningkai peeking into the infirmary, an expression of very badly masked disgust on his face. Felix and Chan both laugh as Felix gets down and pulls Chan close.

“Nope,” he says cutely. He squeezes Chan’s hand, glancing up at the older hybrid. “You ready to go to dinner? I’m starving.” 

At dinner, Chan meets Yunho and Mingi. Yunho is a friendly golden retriever hybrid, and Mingi is an equally friendly mutt. They’re boyfriends who probably share two brain cells, or so Yeosang says. When Mingi protests, Yeosang says that at least he has Yunho because San and Wooyoung share one already-used brain cell that hardly works anymore. 

“All right,” Namjoon says, looking around as they all quiet down, “we have a lot to discuss.” 

“Hyung, what are we going to do about Seonghwa?” Beomgyu asks, leaning forward. 

“We’re going to go after him,” he says. He too leans forward, wings shifting. “Seonghwa will most certainly be used against us if he’s caught, so it’s extremely important that we get to him before the authorities do.

“What about Hongjoong?” Chan says before he can think better of it. Everyone turns their heads to face him. 

“Yeah, what about Hongjoong-Hyung?” Mingi finally says, turning to Namjoon. “I’m not leaving him behind.” 

Namjoon smiles at him. 

“I’m not saying you have to, nor am I telling you to,” he says. “In fact, it’d be better if you got them both. Either one of them could be used for some sort of ransom against us. What we’re trying to prevent is any sort of trade-off having to happen. That’s the last thing I want.” 

They all nod. Namjoon goes on to explain that Chan will be leading his pack as well as Wooyoung and San, and they’ll be tracking Seonghwa directly. Soobin, on the other hand, is going to lead Yeonjun, Taehyun, Beomgyu, Hueningkai, Jongho, Yeosang, Yunho, and Mingi. They’re going to be trying to take as much information about Seonghwa as they can, and hopefully before the government does. They want to know every possible location where Seonghwa might hide with Hongjoong. 

“Okay,” Namjoon says, drawing the word out and looking around at the people sitting at the table. “Is everything clear? You guys know the plan?” 

“Uh-huh,” Yeonjun says, giving Namjoon a thumbs-up and speaking for all of them. He gets up and begins to gather the plates up. “Thanks, Hyung,” he says.

Namjoon nods, standing up slowly. Seokjin hands him his cane and Chan watches as the couple heads back to their room, then he turns to Felix. 

The cat hybrid is grinning at him. 

“Ready for bed?” he says. 

Chan grins back and links their arms together. 

“Only if we get to cuddle,” he says. Felix laughs and kisses him as they head up to their room. 

“Have you met me?” he says. Chan laughs as they get to their room and start to get ready for bed. And then, not long after, Chan falls asleep with Felix in his arms. 

~

Soobin wakes up to find Yeonjun’s fist pressed against his jaw and his tail shoved in his face. The panther hybrid sniffs and shakes his head, getting up slowly and yawning. 

“Hyung,” he grunts, shaking the other hybrid. Yeonjun grunts and rolls closer to him, humming sleepily. His eyes are still closed and Soobin doubts that he’s awake yet, unfortunately.

“Hyung, come on,” Soobin grumbles, shaking Yeonjun again. The fox hybrid grunts yet again but he slowly opens one eye, glaring at Soobin.

“I am  _ sleeping, _ ” he growls. Soobin hums and pats him on the head. 

“Mm, great, but we have work to do today,” he says. Yeonjun groans again and turns away from him, 

“Can’t it  _ wait _ ?” he whines. Soobin shakes his head and pulls him into a sitting position, kissing his bare shoulder. 

“Nope, nuh-uh,” he says sleepily. His tail curls around them both as he kisses over Yeonjun’s skin. “Justice waits for no one.” 

“Well, apparently it does when it comes to totalitarian governments,” Yeonjun says. He twists around and then forces Soobin to lie down, sighing happily. “And for sleepy rebels like ourselves.” 

“We are not rebels. We are simply kind of violent activists.” 

“We are rebels, Soobinnie,” Yeonjun says. He sits up, grinning at Soobin as his tail begins to pick up the speed at which it’s wagging. “A violent activist, Binnie, is simply a rebel. Justice waits for us instead, for we are its kings!” He raises his fist in the air and Soobin smiles fondly at him, unable to make himself do much else. 

“We need to get up, though,” Soobin whispers eventually. “Hyung, we can’t just  _ lie _ here. That’s not how it works.” 

“Why not?” Yeonjun whines. Soobin shrugs and gently nudges him off. Unfortunately, though, he seems to have miscalculated because Yeonjun completely falls off of the bed and lands on the bedroom floor with a loud thud. 

“Binne,” he whines, rubbing his head as Soobin gets up to help him. 

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t-”

“Gosh, you two really don’t know how to get up normally, do you?” Hoseok says, walking in. Soobin shrugs as the dog hybrid helps them both to their feet, patting their backs. 

“Thanks, Hyung,” Soobin says. Hoseok shrugs and waves it off. 

“Just get ready for the day or something,” he says. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, not to mention that you need to start getting to know your packmates better. I don’t want any sort of controversy, you hear me?” 

Yeonjun hugs Soobin and presses their cheeks together, grinning. 

“No one would ever dream of it with Soobinnie as our leader!” Yeonjun cries. Hoseok laughs and shakes his head as he walks away. 

“Sure, sure, just go get ready,” he says. Soobin and Yeonjun both pad to the bathroom and get ready, one person showering while the other brushes his teeth. 

“Yeonjun-Hyung,” Soobin whines, knocking on the glass door of the shower. “Yeonjunnie-Hyung.”

“Hm?” 

“Help me with my contacts?” 

Yeonjun hums. 

“I’m in the shower, Binnie, and I don’t wanna get out.” His tail slithers out, dripping wet. “You can join me if you want to, though,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows. Soobin snorts and shakes his head. 

“I’ll just wait,” he says, beginning to towel off his hair. Yeonjun cackles from inside of the shower and Soobin shakes his head at him, sighing softly. 

While his boyfriend showers, Soobin’s mind begins to wander. He wonders, though he knows it’ll only slow him down if he does, what life would be like if this was just them getting ready. He’d be in college around now. It’s really weird to think about what it’d be like to  _ not _ have this whole uprising thing to deal with because Soobin has  _ always _ been a hybrid and he’s always been so uncomfortably aware of how demeaned he is by the society he lives in. He doesn’t think about it, not really, but, to be honest, he sometimes wishes that he could simply go to sleep and never have to worry about these things again.

They finish getting ready and head to the mess hall. The night before, at dinner, Namjoon had gone over how they’re going to be doing some searches as well as trying to send out a few drones to find Seonghwa. 

“Anything yet?” Soobin asks as he walks inside. Pretty much everyone has a laptop near their meal, and, if not, they’re working on mapping out the city. 

“We’ve gotten a report or two, though they’re not that helpful,” Seungmin says. Soobin nods as he sits down and begins eating his breakfast, craning his neck to look over Chan’s shoulder. 

“We’re trying to guess where he might go,” the wolf hybrid explains, not looking up. Yeosang has a pen in his hand and he’s circled a few buildings. Soobin glances over at a little neon green sticky note and finds that it’s a key of sorts for the colors he’s using.

“He’s definitely left the city,” Yunho comments through a mouthful of toast. “Mr. Park is far from stupid and he knows that this place would be a death trap for someone like him. Hongjoong-Hyung too. Neither of them is stupid, and they’re both good at disappearing.”

“Unfortunately,” San grumbles. He drums his nails on the table and then leans over Yoongi’s shoulder. 

“You think he might go back to the apartment or somethin’?” Wooyoung says as he walks by. San looks up and then shrugs, turning back to Yoongi. 

“We can try it, though I don’t think he’d do it on his own,” San says. He frowns and picks at his lip. “Maybe we can visit the place on our own or something.” 

“I have a key,” Yeosang says. He looks up at Soobin. “We should plan to go there.”

“Does anyone know how to get into Seonghwa’s penthouse? We have to do it soon; who knows how much time we have before the authorities try to storm the place, anyway?” Chan mumbles.

“I can probably get one,” Mingi says. He drums his nails on the table. “I’m not making any promises, though. But I’ll try.” 

“Great,” Namjoon says. 

“Hyung, when do you think we should head out to start looking for him?” Changbin asks. He takes a sip from his mug. 

“As soon as possible,” Chan says, not looking away from his computer. 

“Agreed,” San says, nodding. “We don’t know how fast they’re moving, but it’d be best if we could catch up to them ASAP.” 

Namjoon hums and nods, and Soobin glances at Felix. The cat hybrid can’t hide the finger-shaped bruises decorating his neck, though the swelling in his eye has gone down. He seems to be somewhat okay, though Soobin has yet to ask him.

“What about us?” Taehyun asks. “When should we start looking around and trying to gather information?” 

Seokjin hums and shrugs, glancing over at Namjoon. The dragon hybrid shrugs back at his husband. 

“Well,” Seokjin says, shifting in his seat and tugging at some of the feathers on his forearm, “how are all of you feeling? Mingi, Yunho, Yeosang, Jongho, Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, Huening - it’s really up to you. If you do agree to go today, then I’d just tell you to visit Mr. Kim’s apartment to see if Seonghwa left anything there. But really, it’s up to all of you.” 

Soobin suddenly finds everyone looking at him. Soobin shifts uncomfortably in his seat and glances around the table. His eyes find his hands, and his claws are long and sharp. Soobin retracts them and shrugs. 

“Well,” he says, “I think we should get to know each other more, though it sounds like a not  _ super _ stressful situation should be a good start, right?” he offers. Namjoon looks proud of him, that’s gotta be a good sign, right?

“I agree with Soobin,” Yunho says. “I think that’s a good idea too.”

Soobin wants to melt into a puddle, that’s how relieved he is. He doesn’t know Yunho well, but he does know that he’s the new oldest in their little pack of sorts, so it’s reassuring to have him agreeing. Though he would never say this out loud, Soobin had been a little afraid of having his authority as a leader challenged by Yunho. His worries have been pretty assuaged by the dog hybrid’s willingness to go along with what he’s asking.

“Me too,” Yeonjun says, squeezing his hand gently. Everyone else seems on board and Soobin thanks his lucky stars that while he may not have the confidence, the hybrids around him are plenty supportive. 

They finish eating and make their plans to head down to the building. Soobin can’t help but think about chasing Hongjoong through the district as he gets ready, adjusting his jacket and making sure he has everything with him. 

“Hey,” a deep voice says from behind him. Soobin turns around to find Mingi, and, though it’s not on purpose, his fur puffs at the sight. He can still recognize Mingi as the dog hybrid who took him to the police station, and, while he doesn’t hold any hard feelings for the guy, he can’t help but be a little intimidated by him.

“Uh . . . hi?” Soobin says, waving a bit. Mingi shifts in place, tail tucked between his legs. 

“Um, uh . . . I just - I just wanted to try and, uh,” he coughs awkwardly into his fist, “uh, I wanted to kind of 'clear the air’ between us, you know?” 

Soobin nods, tail hanging behind him. He forces his claws to stay hidden as he jams his hands into his pockets, probably a bit too forcefully because Mingi glances over.

“Yeah,” he says. 

“Yeah,” Mingi parrots back, nodding. Holy shit, this is the literal textbook definition of ‘awkward’, isn’t it?

“Um, I-” 

“Look, I’m not mad - I don’t resent - I don’t know, I just want you to know that I’m not a bad person and that I was just really scared for Hongjoong-Hyung because he already deals with enough shit every day since he’s a little cat hybrid and he likes wearing skirts and stuff so I thought that - well, I mean, I guess you’d know about how cat hybrids tend to struggle in today’s society because-”

“Mingi, it’s fine,” Soobin interrupts. Mingi’s rambling comes to an abrupt halt as he looks up at the panther hybrid. Soobin laughs nervously and scratches the back of his neck, eyes darting to the ground. “I - um, I’m not mad either. I don’t blame you, not at all, and I just . . . yeah.” He looks up. “Thank you, though.” 

Mingi smiles nervously at him, and then he holds his hand out. 

“Friends, then?” he says. Soobin smiles back and shakes his hand. 

“Sure,” he says. He and Mingi are very nearly the same height, though Soobin still has an inch or so on him. There’s still no denying that they’re both very tall, though.

“We should probably head out now,” Soobin says. Mingi nods and they walk out, heading to the cars. 

“Here’s the address,” Yeosang says. He pats Soobin’s shoulder. “I mean, you guys can come up, but it shouldn’t be too hard to search this place. We really just wanna gather all of Hyung’s personal information up and take his stuff.”

“Yeah,” Yoongi says. He’s come out to see them off, and he stands nearby the cars, wrapped in a large winter coat. “If Hongjoong is planning on staying with us or if we’re planning on having him live here for a bit, then it’s best that we go and get as many of his things as possible. There are some suitcases already in the cars, so don’t worry about that. I’ll see you guys soon, though.” 

“When do you guys think you’ll be back?” Jimin asks. Soobin shrugs. 

“Probably around lunchtime. You think we should pick something-”

“No, don’t risk it,” Yoongi says quickly. He shakes his head and sniffles, wiping his nose. “We’ve all agreed that it’d be best if all of you could keep from showing your faces as much as possible. While we can’t just keep you all cooped up in the shelter, we still think it’s best for everyone to lay low for a bit.” 

“How much time is in ‘a bit’?” Taehyun asks. 

Jimin and Yoongi both shrug their shoulders, waving at the rest of them as they all get into their cars. 

“They’re such weirdos,” Yeonjun comments as Soobin starts the car. The panther hybrid turns to give him a deadpan look. 

“And you aren’t?” he says. Yeonjun shrugs, putting his hands up. Hueningkai leans forward and slaps him.

“You’re stupid, Hyung,” he says. Yeonjun gasps, faking offense, and Soobin has to put his arm between them to stop the two hybrids from getting into a slappy fight. Gosh, sometimes he really does feel like he’s surrounded by idiots.

They take the long way to Hongjoong, San, and Wooyoung’s district. Because of what Yoongi and Jimin told them, they’d all agreed that they’d avoid trains and any other forms of public transportation, so they have to battle through New York City traffic. At least, once they reach the district, it all seems to cool down a bit.

“All righty,” Yeonjun says as they all get out. He stretches a bit and looks around. “You guys ready to go in?” 

Soobin shrugs. 

“Yeosang-Hyung, will you do the honors of leading the way?” he says. The cheetah hybrid hums and nods, walking into the apartment building.

Due to the fact that they’re all pretending to be humans, no one bats an eye as they all file in. They take two separate elevators, having decided to split up to go to the separate apartments. 

“Gosh, I don’t remember it being this shitty the last time we came,” Yunho says, looking around. Soobin nods in agreement. 

“Smelly,” he comments. 

“Yeah, well, trust me when I say it can get a whole lot worse,” Mingi says. The elevator stops and the doors open with a soft little ding, and all of the hybrids step out. Mingi uses his key to open the door to Hongjoong’s apartment, looking around. 

Even despite his job as Seonghwa’s assistant, it’s clear that Hongjoong has very little money. His apartment is rather bare, the few decorations being a scattering of framed pictures and the clothes covering the floor. 

“He hasn’t been here for a pretty long time, has he?” Yeonjun says. 

“Doubt it,” Yunho says as he opens one of the suitcases and begins picking up the clothes on the ground. “I’d much rather stay in Mr. Park’s penthouse than this shitty apartment.” 

“He told me that his hot water stopped working and the heat is hardly ever in working order, especially during the winter,” Mingi murmurs. Soobin begins looking at the pictures, running his fingers over them. 

“Are his parents still alive?” he asks quietly. Mingi hums and shrugs. 

“I don’t know,” he says. “He hardly ever talks about his family. All I know is that no one wanted him to pursue a career in design, which is exactly what he ended up doing. And while he’s been plenty successful, parents can be . . .” 

“Stubborn,” Soobin offers. Mingi hums and nods, gently taking the pictures and putting them in a bag. 

“Yeah,” he agrees. “They’re stubborn. I mean, they usually want the best for us, or so I’ve been told, but sometimes . . .” he trails off, looking away. “Sometimes what they think is the best isn’t actually that.” 

“You know from experience, it seems,” Soobin says off-handedly. Mingi shrugs. 

“I didn’t have parents,” he says. “I was a puppy who was bought by an older woman. I just know that my mother gave me up because she didn’t want to see anything bad happen to me.” 

“Do you ever wish she hadn’t?” 

“No,” Mingi says. He shrugs, continuing to take Hongjoong’s things and put them into his bag. “I never would’ve been able to do half of the things I have if she hadn’t. Hell, I don’t even know if I would’ve been allowed to transition in that sort of environment. I’ve heard that that industry is pretty hostile to people like me.” 

Soobin hums and nods. 

“Do you miss your mom?” 

“Not really. I never knew her.” He stops putting things in his bag. Soobin looks over at the dog hybrid and finds him to be frowning. “I miss my old owner, though. She died a few years ago.” 

“She was old?” 

“Heh. Yeah,” Mingi says softly. He turns to Soobin and shrugs. “Not all humans are bad. She was proof of that.” 

Soobin hums and nods. 

“Yeah,” he says. “It just feels like that a lot of the time.” 

Mingi hums in agreement, and they continue working. Yunho helps fold all of Hongjoong’s clothes while Yeonjun gathers up his sewing machine. Soobin checks under the bed for any sort of savings or papers and finds a few older documents that he doesn’t read but decides are important. He’s careful as he places them inside of the suitcase, looking around the small, dingy bedroom.

Yeonjun is the one who finds the magazines. He alerts the other three hybrids with a quiet gasp before beckoning them all over, and they all crowd around the old magazines. 

“These are all for Seonghwa,” Yeonjun says. He flips through the pages of the one top. It looks much more recent, and Soobin wonders just how expensive it was. 

“I’m not surprised one bit,” Mingi says. He laughs quietly and looks up at Yunho. “Don’t you remember how long it took him to save up for these? It was so funny.” 

Yunho laughs and nods in agreement, and Yeonjun turns to the suitcases. 

“Do you guys think we should take these?” he says. “I mean, they seem to be pretty important.” 

“Oh, definitely,” Yunho says, nodding. “Hyung would be really mad if he found out we hadn’t.” 

Yeonjun hums and gently places the magazines into one of the bags, and then he closes it. He stands up and loops the bag over his shoulder, grabbing one of the suitcases. 

“All right,” he says, “ready to go back home?” 

~

Seonghwa and Hongjoong both agree that they’re only going to travel at night. Seonghwa is insistent that they get as far from the city as possible, though Hongjoong soon realizes that all of the traveling is taking a toll on the designer. He’s not used to having wings or horns or a tail, and, not to mention, he can breathe fire because that’s a thing now. But, whatever new abilities Seonghwa has, he still has yet to get used to them. 

“Seonghwa,” Hongjoong whispers to the other hybrid. “Seonghwa, let’s take a break. It’s okay. Come on.” 

Seonghwa, for once, doesn’t protest as he angles himself toward the ground. They land in a surprisingly forested area and Seonghwa collapses, breathing heavily. 

“I’m - I’m sorry,” he pants. He rolls onto his back, wings splaying out beneath him. “I just - I - I can’t, I’m sorry.” 

Hongjoong hums and crawls over, nuzzling him. Seonghwa’s suit is in tatters even though they’ve only been flying for a day or two, though Hongjoong’s own clothes aren’t much different. Seonghwa also seems to have lost all of his jewelry along the way, though Hongjoong doesn’t blame him. Jewelry is pretty hard to keep track of when you’re running for your life. 

“Seonghwa, it’s okay,” Hongjoong says. He curls up on top of Seonghwa, a purr building in the back of his throat. “It’s okay to take a break.” 

“I’m going to get us out of here, I swear,” Seonghwa promises. He squeezes Hongjoong’s hand. His breath is warm as it tickles Hongjoong’s face, smelling of smoke and not much else. “I just-” he stops, licking his lips and swallowing hard “-I’m going to - I just need a break.” 

“And new clothes,” Hongjoong murmurs, playing with Seonghwa’s tie. The dragon hybrid laughs, looking up at the sky. 

“Yeah, that too,” he says. He shifts and sits up, keeping Hongjoong in his lap. “I’m going to look for some sort of firewood or something. It’s too cold out here.” 

Hongjoong hums and gets up, going to pick up the twigs he finds. He comes back and Seonghwa crouches in front of the pile, blowing a small flame onto the twigs. 

“Thank you,” Hongjoong says as Seonghwa comes to sit behind him. The dragon hybrid hums and wraps one of his wings around Hongjoong, pulling him closer to him. 

“Thank  _ you, _ ” he says softly. “I just - I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I know it’s not-”

Hongjoong kisses him. Seonghwa’s lips still taste like Seonghwa does, they still make Hongjoong feel wonderfully electric even if he’s terrified to see what the future has in store for them.

“Hey,” he says quietly, “you never dragged me into anything. Shit happens, and it’s not always good shit. But all we can really do is try our best to keep going and take it in stride.” He smiles, leaning his head against Seonghwa’s shoulder and smiling sleepily at the fire. “And, if I’m being honest, I’m pretty sure that you’ve been doing that for quite some time.” 

Seonghwa hums and reaches over to wrap his arm around Hongjoong’s waist. 

“We need to make a plan,” he says softly. Hongjoong hums and nods, playing with Seonghwa’s hand. 

“Well,” he says, “we should probably find some sort of store to get clothes from. And we’re going to need food.” 

Seonghwa hums. 

“We should try to get you an inhaler too,” he says softly. He glances down at Hongjoong. “Do you still have it?” 

Hongjoong looks down at his skirt, taking in the lack of pockets. Seonghwa’s suit isn’t very different. 

“Fuck,” he says. He sits up on his knees and begins crawling around, using the light of the fire in hopes of finding his inhaler. Goddammit, how did he miss it? It’s so important that he has it, how did-

“Hey, hey, hey,” Seonghwa says softly, taking him by the wrists and pulling him close. “Deep breaths, okay? Breathe with me, kitty. It’s okay. We’ll get another one.” 

“Seonghwa, I need it, Seonghwa-”

“Breathe, honey,” Seonghwa says. His wings wrap around them both, and his eyes are soft as he smiles gently at Hongjoong. “It’s okay. We’ve been moving around a lot and it’s okay. I’m not mad.” 

“Seonghwa, what if I die?” Hongjoong cries, fisting his hands in the dragon hybrid’s shirt. Seonghwa hums and combs his fingers through Hongjoong’s hair, leaning down to press their foreheads together.

“I swear you won’t die,” he says softly. His voice is low and rumbling, honey-sweet as the crackling of the fire joins in every so often. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Hongjoong. I’m going to protect you.”

Hongjoong presses his face into the crook of Seonghwa’s neck and breathes shakily, holding tightly to his boyfriend. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers hoarsely. “I’m sorry, I’m so stupid-”

“Oh, no, no, no, kitty, you aren’t stupid,” Seonghwa says. He kisses Hongjoong’s forehead. “No, sweetie, you’re so smart and I know you didn’t do that on purpose because you’re so responsible and sweet and you’re so wonderful. It’s okay to make mistakes, darling. We all make mistakes, Hongjoongie. We’re going to get through this together, though. You’re going to get through this. You’re going to live.” 

Hongjoong sniffles and nods, still unable to pry his face from the crook of Seonghwa’s neck. Hands run over his back, claws scratching lightly against his skin. Seonghwa’s lips press soft, gentle butterfly kisses to his neck, his breath warm as it ghosts over Hongjoong.

“See?” Seonghwa says quietly, pulling away to look at Hongjoong. He smiles gently, and Hongjoong can’t help but notice how beautiful he looks when bathed in the firelight. “It’s okay, Joong. I’m here.” 

Hongjoong stares at him, trying to memorize his features. He reaches out slowly and cups Seonghwa’s face, running his thumb over his cheekbone. The scales by his eye are soft and smooth beneath Hongjoong’s own skin, and they’ve been warmed by the fire as well. Seonghwa’s golden eyes stare back at him, gentle and kind. Hongjoong smiles and tilts his head a bit, tail coming to wrap around them both. 

“I know I’ve said this before, but you’re really beautiful,” he says. He tucks a strand of hair behind Seonghwa’s ear. “And I have a feeling that you’re kind of doubting that because of . . . well, because of everything that’s happened, but I still think that you’re really one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.” He kisses Seonghwa once before he can start denying it, and then he presses their foreheads together. “And I mean that with my whole, entire heart.”

“That’s a bit repetitive, don’t you think?” Seonghwa asks. Hongjoong frowns at him, tilting his head. 

“What’s repetitive?” he says. Seonghwa giggles and cups the right side of his face, smiling softly. 

“Oh, I don’t know . . . but maybe saying ‘my whole, entire heart’ is a bit . . . I don’t know, a bit repetitive, at risk of repeating myself,” Seonghwa says. He smiles and kisses Hongjoong on the cheek. “But I think it’s quite cute.” 

“Don’t patronize me,” Hongjoong says, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. Seonghwa laughs at his petulant attitude and leans forward to kiss his neck, humming. 

“Cute,” he says. Hongjoong hums, already beginning to melt into his boyfriend’s arms. “You, my dear Hongjoong, are very cute.” 

“Hmm.” 

Seonghwa laughs, and then he takes Hongjoong and moves them around until they’re lying on the ground together. Seonghwa adjusts so that he’s not lying on top of his wings, curling around the smaller hybrid. 

“Why don’t you believe me?” he whines, poking Hongjoong’s nose. The cat hybrid opens his mouth to explain, but Seonghwa interrupts him before he can and says, “You’re so  _ little _ . Everything about you is just . . . small.” He grins down at Hongjoong, scaly tail flicking around behind him. “Well, your eyes are actually quite large, and I love them very much. And your teeth are adorably big as well, as are your curvy little hips.” He slithers back and Hongjoong sits up on his arms, arching an eyebrow. Seonghwa grins up at him. “Your little nose is so cute and pointy and so are your little fangs. And so are your cute baby hands.” He grabs Hongjoong’s wrist, his claws pressing up gently against the cat hybrid’s skin. Hongjoong opens his hand so they’re palm-to-palm, and Seonghwa marvels at how much bigger his hand is. 

“You’re so mean to me,” Hongjoong whines. Seonghwa laughs and tugs him over, pressing light kisses all over Hongjoong’s face. 

“You are simply the tiniest little kitty I have ever had the pleasure of meeting,” Seonghwa says. His hand plays with the hem of Hongjoong’s skirt. “And kissing. And holding. And,” he grins mischievously, leaning in so his lips are right next to Hongjoong’s ear as he breathes, “ _ fucking. _ ”

Hongjoong slaps him. 

“Horny dumbass,” he says. Seonghwa laughs, and Hongjoong notices how he doesn’t even try to deny it. “If you think I’m gonna let you fuck me out here in the middle of nowhere, then you are severely mistaken.” 

“Worth a shot,” Seonghwa says as he lies back down, curling up around the fire. He smiles, his eyes crinkling adorably in the corners. “You’re just so cute when you’re flustered, I really couldn’t help it.” 

“Dumbass,” Hongjoong says again. Seonghwa kisses him. 

“Well,” he says, “this dumbass is tired, as should you be. Are you ready for bed now, darling?” 

Hongjoong giggles and presses his forehead against Seonghwa’s, grinning giddily. 

“Yes,” he whispers, even though he doubts that the dragon hybrid believes him for even a second. But Seonghwa only grins back at him and presses their lips together, pulling away with sleepy, droopy eyes that make Hongjoong’s heart flutter in his chest.

“Good night, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa says. Hongjoong hums, closing his eyes with a soft sigh. 

And then, somehow, he falls asleep that way. 

Hongjoong has no idea how long he sleeps. However, what he does know is that Seonghwa is still passed out when he wakes up. The dragon hybrid has curled into a little ball around Hongjoong, and, though he’s sure it won’t surprise anyone, Hongjoong thinks of a dragon from a story book protecting its hoard. 

“You are too much,” Hongjoong says to himself, carefully squirming out of Seonghwa’s hold. He gets to his feet and dusts himself off, looking around. Hopefully, there’s some sort of convenience store or something along those lines nearby, though Hongjoong doesn’t want to push his luck. He and Seonghwa would just like some new clothes, please. 

_ I think I’d have to ask Seonghwa if I really thought there was something nearby, _ Hongjoong thinks, frowning.  _ I don’t want to scare him, and it’s not like I can write him a note or anything.  _

Hongjoong sighs and bites his lip, resting one of his hands on his hip. This is stressful. He really doesn’t know what he’s doing, does he? 

“And I don’t want to wake Seonghwa up,” Hongjoong murmurs. He looks around, his eyes landing on the pile of Seonghwa lying on the ground nearby. His wings have climbed up to be used as some sort of shield, and, to Hongjoong at least, it’s unfairly adorable. Not to mention the fact that Seonghwa’s probably exhausted as well. 

“Goddammit, why now?” he grumbles. He hugs himself and rubs his arms, teeth chattering in the winter chill. “Why did this have to happen?” 

A grunt coming from Seonghwa startles him enough that Hongjoong jumps before looking over. The dragon slowly lifts his head, blinking sleepily as he looks around. 

“Hongjoong?” he says. He sits up and rubs his eyes. “Is everything alright?” 

Hongjoong hums and goes to sit down on his lap, sighing as he lets his forehead lean against Seonghwa’s shoulder. 

“We need to get clothes,” he says softly. Seonghwa hums in agreement. 

“That we do,” he says. He gently nudges Hongjoong to his feet, holding his hand. “Come along, kitty. I’m sure there’s  _ something _ around here. A rest stop, perhaps. We’ll try and find one of those.”

“You have to be careful,” Hongjoong warns as Seonghwa crouches down. He climbs into his arms. “You can’t be seen.” 

“And neither can you. You don’t want anyone to recognize you, do you?” Seonghwa says. Hongjoong hums and shrugs his shoulders, leaning his head against Seonghwa’s shoulder as the dragon slowly flies up. 

“How long do you think it’ll take?” he asks. Seonghwa doesn’t go very far from the tops of the trees, wings beating every so often as he glides through the sky. 

“Who knows?” he says. “It can’t be far, though. We’ll probably get there pretty soon.” 

Hongjoong hums, sighing softly and closing his eyes. Seonghwa chuckles at his behavior as Hongjoong’s tail wraps around his forearm. Hongjoong feels his lips twitch as he shakes his head, though his eyes remain closed. 

Fifteen minutes later (or so he thinks), Seonghwa nudges Hongjoong until he opens his eyes. 

“There,” he says quietly, pointing with his horns. “We can go there. See? I told you we’d find something soon.” 

“That’s probably only because we’re getting close to Jungle,” Hongjoong mumbles. Seonghwa giggles as he circles over one area before finally landing, setting Hongjoong down carefully. 

“Here we are,” he says. Hongjoong leans against his boyfriend and looks around. 

“You have to stay here, I hope you know that,” he says. Seonghwa sighs heavily and sits down, letting his weight rest on his arms. 

“Unfortunately, yes,” he says. Hongjoong gets ready to go, but Seonghwa grabs his hand and tugs him down. 

“Be careful, okay?” Seonghwa says. “I don’t - please don’t get hurt. And don’t be afraid to call for help, it’s not like I have anything to do anyway.” He laughs nervously, avoiding Hongjoong’s eyes. “But just - just be careful, please? I don’t want anything to happen to you.” 

Hongjoong smiles softly at him, sitting on his knees and cupping his face. He presses his lips against Seonghwa’s, smiling into the kiss. 

“I’ll be as careful as can be,” he tells his boyfriend. “Don’t worry too much, though. I don’t want to come back and find that you’ve made a mess of this place.” 

Seonghwa squeezes his hand, smiling up at him weakly. 

“I won’t make any promises,” he says. Hongjoong snorts and shakes his head, hugging him once more before turning and walking away toward the store.

He realizes, halfway through his little walk to the store, that he already looks pretty suspicious. It doesn’t help one bit that he’s a hybrid, something that’s already made him someone to keep an eye on. His tattered clothes, lack of shoes, and ratty appearance will only make this little stealing thing harder.

_ Okay, Hongjoong, _ he thinks,  _ just . . . what would Seonghwa do?  _

The response comes quickly:

_ He’d waltz in there and just grab everything he’d need, and then he’d head out without anyone batting an eye. No one would even notice he’d taken anything. _

Hongjoong bites his lip. Each step takes him closer to the rest stop, and Hongjoong swears that he can hear his own heartbeat getting louder. He really hopes that Seonghwa doesn’t worry too much.

“I just need to grab some clothes, food, water, and . . . a first aid kit. Yeah. That sounds pretty good. That’s everything, hopefully. Seonghwa can breathe fire, and - oh.” Hongjoong stops, cursing and turning around to look back in the direction he came from. “I’m going to need something to cut Seonghwa’s clothes for him, aren’t I?”

_ That means I’ll probably have to steal a Swiss Army Knife or something. That’s probably what I should look for, _ Hongjoong thinks. He sighs, shaking his head and turning around to glance back at the trees. They’ve already begun thinning out, though he still can’t see Seonghwa. Hopefully, he’s safe.

“Okay, Hongjoong,” the cat hybrid says to himself, digging his claws into his palms to brace himself. “You can do this. Just get in and get out. Easy-peasy.” 

Hongjoong nods once and speeds up his walk. He gets into the store and is quick to duck into one of the aisles, his heart pounding. He’s definitely not the only person in the shop, he can tell that much. 

_ Just act like what you’re doing makes perfect sense, _ he tells himself. He finds a bunch of clothes to be used as souvenirs, and Hongjoong is quick to grab a few pairs of sweatpants and some sweatshirts. The t-shirts go next, and Hongjoong glances down at his little basket. 

_ Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous. _

Hongjoong sighs quietly and shakes his head, looking up and continuing to “browse”. He grabs a few water bottles and energy drinks, then some packs of jerky, candy, and chips. 

_ Now I need a first aid kit and a knife. That’s it, _ Hongjoong thinks. He makes his way toward the small white boxes and grabs one, then he begins looking for a knife. Thankfully, it’s close enough that Hongjoong can simply grab it and walk off, heart thundering. 

_ Now, I just have to get out, _ he thinks. He bites his lip for the nth time that day and looks around. The cashier looks pretty preoccupied and no one’s very close to the door . . .

_ Fuck it. Let’s go, _ Hongjoong thinks. 

And then he walks out the door. 


	4. Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa makes a plan, Hongjoong is scared, Chan likes road trips, and Soobin is snooping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new ateez album tomorrow!!! Get ready atiny! Also, god im so fvcking mad about hyunjin like this was resolved and this is just people dredging up old sh!t that doesn't matter bc even if he did he was like twelve and every twelve year old says mean stuff at some point in their lives like can people just leave him alone pls my bby doesn't deserve this urgh

While Hongjoong is gone, Seonghwa makes a plan to stay calm. He knows that, in the end, he probably won’t survive. Hongjoong has a much better chance of being able to get out without many people noticing. Seonghwa, on the other hand, isn’t so lucky. 

_ Well, that’s rather depressing, isn’t it? _ he thinks. He sighs and shakes his head, shivering and hugging himself.  _ But it’s not like I have a choice. I just wish I could edit my will. _

He sighs, shaking his head yet again. Seonghwa’s always thought that he would die somewhat early and he used to be perfectly fine with it. He’s done more with his life than anyone had ever expected, including himself, and it would be more than fitting for his character to leave the scene early. But that was all  _ before _ Hongjoong. 

It makes his chest ache when he thinks about dying. Seonghwa doesn’t want to leave Hongjoong, no, not at all, and yet he doesn’t really have a choice. It’s probably impossible to hide from anyone when he looks the way he does. Hongjoong, at least, can blend in with other cat hybrids, whereas Seonghwa sticks out like a sore thumb no matter who he’s with. 

_ There’s going to be so much left unsaid, though, _ he thinks as he lies back onto the cold, hard ground. He stares up at the sky, noting how bleak it appears.  _ Just like my future. _

Seonghwa does not want to die. He’s never . . . he’s never truly been suicidal. Not in  _ his _ opinion, at least. He does suppose a few people might argue that his habits could imply that there’s something going on, but Seonghwa has never wanted to truly take initiative to kill himself. He smoked and drank because he enjoyed it, and the shortening of his lifespan was only an added benefit. Seonghwa’s never wanted to kill himself.

_ I would do it for Hongjoong, though, _ he thinks as he stares up at the sky.  _ Arguably, I would probably do  _ anything _ for Hongjoong, so long as it guaranteed his safety and happiness.  _

Love really does change people, huh? This time last year, Seonghwa never would’ve thought that he’d care so much about one hybrid. Then again, he never really thought that he’d be a dragon hybrid either, so he supposes that things have changed quite a bit since last year.

Seonghwa snorts. 

_ Okay, _ he thinks,  _ I should actually start thinking about a plan now. No more whatever this is.  _

Seonghwa sits up. He owns a few hotels and casinos in the hybrid-version of NYC, and he can definitely drop Hongjoong off at one. He should try to contact Namjoon, he’ll hopefully be able to pick him up. He should also try to stay deeper in the forest, though he’s only planning on taking the long way to spend more time with Hongjoong. Sue him for being selfish.

_ And then I can fly back home to make sure no one tries to find Hongjoong. I’ll preoccupy everyone with my presence so Hongjoong can get out safely. Maybe I’ll live, though it seems pretty unlikely.  _

He sighs loudly, exhaling through his nose and biting his lip. Hongjoong is probably going to hate him for this, now that he thinks about it. He’s going to be so angry with Seonghwa for leaving him and sacrificing himself, Seonghwa wonders how he’ll feel when he dies. 

_ I wonder if he loves me, _ Seonghwa thinks.  _ I think I love him. I think I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my entire life. _

And then, very quietly, he says, “I don’t think I’d mind dying for Hongjoong.” 

The words make his chest close up as he jerks in place, leaping to his feet. His heart thunders in his chest as he hugs himself, looking around. He thinks he can hear someone coming his way, and it’s only one person, so that  _ should _ be a good thing. That should mean that Hongjoong isn’t being chased.

And, thankfully, when Seonghwa sees him, he’s grinning brightly with a basket in his hands. Seonghwa rushes at him and pulls him close, breathing heavily. 

“You’re okay,” he breathes. Hongjoong hums, dropping the basket to hug him back.

“So are you,” he says, and Seonghwa feels guilt pool in his stomach as Hongjoong pulls away to smile softly at him. 

_ I’m so sorry, _ he thinks. 

“We should change our clothes, don’t you think?” Hongjoong asks before Seonghwa can follow his train of thought. The dragon hybrid smiles and nods, starting with his pants. His shirt is going to be a struggle, though Seonghwa isn’t planning on keeping it. 

“You can just unbutton it, can’t you?” Hongjoong says when Seonghwa gets ready to open his shirt with his claws. He looks down at the buttons and then back up at his boyfriend, feeling quite stupid. 

“Oh,” he says, dumbfounded. “Oh, yes, I should do that. It’ll be good to have something to change into.” 

Hongjoong laughs as he tosses him a shirt. Seonghwa stares at it, trying to figure out how he’s going to put it on. 

“Do you perhaps have a scarf I could use instead?” he says. He flexes his wings to break his blouse a bit more, though he has a feeling that he’ll need Hongjoong’s help. “Also, can you cut the shirt off of my wings? It’s a little stuck.” 

Hongjoong hums and walks over, pulling out a knife. Seonghwa sits down to make it easier for him, staring ahead at the basket. There’s food, water, a first aid kit, and some more clothes. Seonghwa has a feeling he’s going to have to make himself some sort of shirt. 

“Here we go,” Hongjoong says, gently tugging his blouse off. Seonghwa turns and smiles at him. 

“How do you think we should do the shirt?” he says. Hongjoong grins at him and shows off how he’s cut the back. Seonghwa hums, amused, and allows his boyfriend to carefully fit the shirt over his head. 

“Can you lie down?” Hongjoong says. Seonghwa hums and obeys. Hongjoong straddles his hips and Seonghwa turns to glance at him, smiling fondly at the sight. 

Hongjoong sits on top of his behind, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. He must’ve stolen himself a pair of shoes because it appears that he’s also wearing a pair of ugly sneakers. Seonghwa chuckles to himself as Hongjoong ties the ends of the strips together, tongue sticking out as he does so. 

“There,” Hongjoong says proudly as he stands up. Seonghwa lifts his arms and stretches his wings out, turning to look over his shoulder. The shirt seems to be pretty stable and it doesn’t break when he does anything, so that’s good. 

“You have scales on your back, you know,” Hongjoong comments as he cuts a hole in his pants.

“I do?” Seonghwa says. Hongjoong hums and nods. He slides his hands under Seonghwa’s shirt, and Seonghwa can feel him gently scratching his back. 

“Just around your wings, they’re not that obvious,” Hongjoong mumbles, pressing the words against his neck. Seonghwa hums, wiggling into his pants and shoving his tail through the hole. 

“Okay,” Seonghwa says. He turns to Hongjoong, spreading his arms proudly. “What do you think? Should it get a spot in my next collection?” 

“What would you call it?” Hongjoong asks, opening a bag of chips. Seonghwa shrugs, snagging the knife to cut his sweatshirt open. 

“An unwanted adventure, copyright Seonghwa Park/VIPER,” he says, not looking up. Hongjoong hums and walks over, sitting on the ground. Seonghwa carefully puts his sweatshirt on, then he reaches around to tie it together. 

“How’s that feel?” Hongjoong asks, offering him the bag of chips. Seonghwa hums and shrugs. 

“It’s fine,” he says, turning around. He smiles at Hongjoong. “Thank you.” 

Hongjoong laughs and hugs him. 

“Anything for you, Seonghwa,” he says sweetly. Seonghwa’s chest seizes up uncomfortably, and he hugs Hongjoong tighter. 

_ I'm sorry. _

They return to their schedule of flying at night and sleeping during the day. The food, somehow, begins dwindling, as does the water. And Seonghwa worries more for Hongjoong with each day that passes. They aren’t even that close to the Jungle - Seonghwa only noticed the buildings’ silhouettes a day or two ago, but Hongjoong is still struggling. Seonghwa can’t fly too high because the elevation makes Hongjoong’s asthma even harder to deal with, and it doesn’t help one bit that they don’t have an inhaler. 

“Hongjoong-ah,” the dragon hybrid says, nudging his boyfriend with his head, “eat.” 

“I know you’ve been dividing the food unfairly,” Hongjoong says quietly. Seonghwa doesn’t answer. “Seonghwa, if either of us needs to eat, it’s you. You’re the one doing all the flying.” 

“Hongjoong,  _ please, _ ” Seonghwa says. Hongjoong scowls at him and turns away, hugging himself. 

“You’re not eating, Seonghwa, and you’re the one doing the most moving. How is it fair that I get bigger portions?” 

“I’ll start eating, but only after you finish what I’ve given you,” Seonghwa says. He crosses his arms, adjusting himself to cover the fire. “Hongjoong-ah, your asthma-”

“That’s not a good enough reason!” Hongjoong turns around to snap at him. Seonghwa glares. 

“Hongjoong,” he growls, “eat your fucking food.”

“ _ You _ eat your fucking food!” Hongjoong says back. “I don’t-”

The cat hybrid’s mouth suddenly snaps shut and he stills, his ears twitching. Seonghwa does the same, looking around. 

And then he hears it. 

_ Helicopters.  _

Seonghwa has leaped at Hongjoong and pushed him to the ground before he can even think about hiding himself. His breathing is heavy, but he’s more concerned about the fact that they could be seen right this second, and then it’s over. 

_ No, no, please, _ Seonghwa thinks. He shuts his eyes, trying to think of anything else. Of course, though, memories of the day the poachers came fill his mind. The sickening scent of the forest floor fills his nostrils, mixing with the traces of blood.  _ There was so much blood.  _

“-gone. I think they’re gone,” Hongjoong is saying from beneath him. He presses his hands against Seonghwa’s chest and nudges him gently. “Seonghwa.” 

The dragon hybrid jumps back. Hongjoong looks nervously at him before sighing and coming to sit beside him. 

“We’ll split it evenly, how about that?” he says softly. Seonghwa nods weakly and takes the chip offered to him, tucking Hongjoong into one of his wings. They finish the chips and then, not long after, they both fall asleep. 

~

Hongjoong wakes up as the sun is setting, and it’s because he can hear Seonghwa making quiet noises of distress. He sits up and looks over to find the dragon hybrid lying on the ground, stiff as a board. His eyes are wide and full of fear, his hands turned to fists by his sides. Hongjoong can hear him whimpering very quietly, and his stomach churns as he crawls over. 

“Seonghwa,” he whispers. He touches his arm lightly. “Seonghwa, wake up!” 

Hongjoong doesn’t know what to do, so he goes with his first instinct and begins shaking his boyfriend. Seonghwa’s soft, barely audible whimpers continue until suddenly, for no clear reason at all, he sits up with a gasp. 

“Seonghwa,” Hongjoong breathes, pulling him close. The dragon hybrid appears unsure, his hands hovering over Hongjoong’s body. 

“Seonghwa, it’s me, Hongjoong,” Hongjoong says softly. He can feel Seonghwa slowly press his hands against his back, and then he hears a few quiet, choked-off sobs and whimpers. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Hongjoong says shakily. “I’m here, you’re safe.”

Seonghwa sobs loudly, his face pressed into the crook of Hongjoong’s neck. His tears soak into the cat hybrid’s sweatshirt, making his skin slick. 

They sit like that until the sun has finally gone to sleep, though the moon has yet to make itself known. Seonghwa and Hongjoong both have night vision, thankfully, so it isn’t difficult for them to get up and start moving. 

“I’m sorry about that,” Seonghwa says, some time into their flight. Hongjoong hums, leaning his head against his boyfriend’s chest. 

“It’s okay,” Hongjoong says. He plays with the drawstrings of Seonghwa’s sweatshirt. “Does it happen often?” 

Seonghwa doesn’t answer for a bit, and Hongjoong begins to wonder if he even heard him. Just as he opens his mouth to repeat the question, though, Seonghwa, surprisingly casual, says, “I take medication.” 

“Oh.” 

“My - my old psychiatrist said it was PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder,” Seonghwa tells him. “I was also diagnosed with OCD, but that happened years ago too. Back when I was still in Korea.” 

Hongjoong hums. Seonghwa seems like he’s going to be landing soon so they’ll probably walk for a bit, though Hongjoong is the one who’d insisted on that because he didn’t want to be totally useless. Seonghwa had, albeit quite begrudgingly, relented and now they alternate between walking and flying. 

“PTSD can cause sleep paralysis, I think,” Seonghwa says. Hongjoong hums. “I - I googled a lot of stuff because I just . . . I didn’t want to talk to my psychiatrist because it felt like I was just being told that I was fucked up.” He shrugs as they get closer to the ground. “I didn’t understand why I was paying so much to have someone tell me the facts.” 

“Have you ever thought about going back, since I’m guessing that you stopped going?” Hongjoong asks as they land. Hongjoong’s ears pop and he has to take a few steps to get used to walking again.

Seonghwa shrugs. 

“Not really,” he says. “I mean, yeah, sure I’ve heard that it’s really helpful, and, if I really wanted to get better, then I’d still be going. Or, in the very least, I’d  _ try _ to go again.” He shrugs again. “But I just take meds now. I still have the prescriptions.” 

“Does it help?” 

“It stops the nightmares and the paralysis episodes,” Seonghwa says. “And, of course, you know about the OCD meds. I mean, one of the main reasons why I stopped seeing my psychiatrist is because it was so risky. I could only reveal so much to them without . . . you know. Outing myself as a hybrid, illegal immigrant . . . the list goes on.” 

“You’ve done a lot in your life,” Hongjoong says, squeezing his hand. 

Seonghwa shrugs. “Kind of. Only out of necessity, though.” 

“Isn’t that pretty much everyone’s reason for doing a whole lot of things?” Hongjoong asks, jumping over a little stream. Seonghwa steps over it and shrugs. 

“Perhaps,” he says. He turns to Hongjoong and smiles a bit. Even though there’s no moonlight to see, Hongjoong’s heart still flutters. “But somethings, those that we choose to do, can truly be quite magnificent, wouldn’t you agree?” 

Hongjoong laughs, leaning against his shoulder and closing his eyes. 

“Mmm,” he agrees. He opens his eyes and glances up at Seonghwa. “Did - do you feel that way about - about VIPER?” 

Seonghwa shrugs.

“Kind of,” he says. “I mean, VIPER is my greatest achievement - it’s something I built from nothing. It came from the darkest depths of my mind and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever created. And yet . . .” He trails off, biting his lip and looking to the side. “And yet, there’s no denying that one of the reasons why I design is because it makes me feel in control.” 

“You enjoy it though, don’t you?” 

“I love it,” Seonghwa says. “I’ve loved it since I was a kid, even if what I did then was total bullshit that I’d never even  _ think _ of publicizing.” He smiles to himself, and Hongjoong can’t help but mirror it. “I think . . . I still wish I had all of them, though.” 

Hongjoong hums, squeezing his hand. They continue walking until dawn tickles the night sky and they’ve found a space big enough for both of them to lie down on before they both fall asleep. 

Hongjoong’s days begin to blur together, but the day they run out of food, he thinks, is always going to be stark in his memory. 

“I can hunt,” Seonghwa tells him. He squeezes his hands. “We still - you did the stealing, I can take care of this. I’ll be back, promise.” 

Hongjoong knows he doesn’t have a choice. It’s not like  _ he _ can hunt or anything, as he’s spent his entire life in a city and has hardly seen forests outside of pictures, much less  _ hunted _ . Seonghwa is probably their best bet, even if Hongjoong hates how weak and useless he feels. 

“Okay,” he says. Seonghwa smiles at him and kisses his cheek. Hongjoong hasn’t told him yet, but he’s been developing more scales over his face. It’s really just that the patches by his eyes have grown bigger, though Hongjoong thinks they’re quite pretty. He likes them. 

He sits and waits by the fire, watching Seonghwa as he quietly stalks away. And, even after his boyfriend has disappeared into the forest, Hongjoong continues to stare after him. He nibbles his lower lip and drums his nails on the ground, stopping every now and then to look up at the sky. It’s pale gray, full of clouds without much sun. Hongjoong can tell that it’s going to snow soon, and, while it makes it so they don’t have to worry about water anymore, Hongjoong still worries about what could happen to Seonghwa. 

“I’m back!” Seonghwa yells, having been gone for more than half an hour. Hongjoong jumps to his feet and rushes over, tackling him despite the smell of blood that clings to Seonghwa like a second skin. 

“I was worried,” he says, his words mumbled and muffled. Seonghwa laughs softly as he waddles to the fire. Hongjoong steps back and sits down to watch him. Seonghwa skins the animal as best he can - it appears to be a rabbit - and then holds the limp body in his hands, looking a bit helpless. 

“Do you have a stick, perhaps?” he says. Hongjoong gets up and begins looking around, frowning. He comes over with three, reasonably-sized sticks, handing them to Seonghwa. The dragon hybrid nods at him and sticks two in the ground before stabbing the third through the animal. 

“Was it hard?” Hongjoong asks. 

“Was what hard?” 

“Hunting.” Hongjoong lifts his hands and makes a little biting movement. “Was it hard?” 

“I had to sit in a tree for a pretty long time, so I’m a bit sore,” Seonghwa says, stretching out. “Catching this guy wasn’t terribly hard, though.” 

Hongjoong hums, scooting over to sit next to him. Seonghwa still smells like blood and even a little bit of sweat, though Hongjoong doesn’t mind the scents too much. He’s perfectly happy with sitting next to Seonghwa and watching the supposed rabbit get cooked. 

“Do you wanna hear my plan?” Seonghwa asks. Hongjoong hums and nods. 

“Sure.” 

“So, you’ve heard of the Jungle, haven’t you? I mean, no one really talks much about it, but you know what it is, right?” 

“Hybrid city? Super hard to get into, hardly any humans at all but they’re still assholes when you meet them?” Hongjoong says. Seonghwa laughs softly and nods. 

“That’s the place,” he says. “Well, I own a hotel or two-”

“Is it ‘or two’ or is it several?” Hongjoong asks. Seonghwa laughs again. 

“Perhaps it’s a bit more than the number I offered,” he says. “But that’s not the point. What I’m saying is that they’re like safehouses, and we could hide out there until everything cooled down and all that jazzy shit. What do you think?” 

“I mean,  _ I’m _ on board with it,” Hongjoong says. He looks up at Seonghwa. “But you’re sure you’ll be able to make it there? It’s pretty far, I’ve heard.” 

Seonghwa nods. 

“We’ve only got a few more days until we get there,” he says. “I’m sure that we’ll make it without any major hiccups or anything.”

Hongjoong bites his lip and looks back up at the sky. 

“It’s going to start snowing, I think,” he says quietly. Seonghwa glances over at him. 

“I know,” he says, finally. Hongjoong glances over. “I can feel it.”

“What do . . . what do you think we should do?”

Seonghwa purses his lips, and then he glances over at Hongjoong. 

“What do  _ you _ think?” he says.

Hongjoong shrugs. 

“We can - we should keep going, though we should try to find somewhere to stay,” he says. Seonghwa hums, tugging him closer with his wing. “We can’t stay out here, though. That’s something I’m certain of.”

Seonghwa doesn’t say anything for a bit. Hongjoong grows worried that he’d somehow offended him and looks up, finding Seonghwa to be staring blankly at the forest.

“Thank you,” he finally says. He turns and looks at Hongjoong, and the cat hybrid can see that his eyes are glassy with tears. “It’s really - this is much better than being by myself.” 

Hongjoong hums. 

“It seems like it’d be pretty lonely,” he says. He sighs. “I can’t imagine having to do this as a little kid.”

“Yeah, well, I was really messed up by it.” Seonghwa sighs. “If I ever have kids, I don’t want them to go through any of the same things I did.”

“Have you ever wanted kids before?” Hongjoong asks. Seonghwa doesn’t answer for a bit, presumably because it’s a strange question. Well, not really when this is the context, but, throughout his entire career, most people have assumed that the cold, stonehearted Seonghwa Park has no love for children and has never longed to raise any. 

“I have,” he finally says, his voice quiet. He says it like he shouldn’t. “I have wanted children for a long time.” he sighs, sitting back a little. “I’ve - I like - I like to take care of-” he moves his hands around in the air “-of  _ things _ . I just - I don’t quite know how to do so. I just - the idea of taking care of something - of  _ someone _ else has - I’ve always loved it, though it’s not often at the forefront of my mind. Especially when I can hardly take care of myself.” He laughs bitterly. 

“I think you’d be a good father,” Hongjoong says. He smiles at Seonghwa. “You can cook, that’s one thing down, isn’t it?” 

“And money doesn’t appear it’ll ever be a problem,” Seonghwa says, nodding in agreement. “However, I do worry quite a bit about spoiling them too much. I feel like I’d be very easily convinced to buy things.” 

“Nah,” Hongjoong says, playing with his hand, “I think that you’d be like a mom. You make me think of a mom.” 

“Really?” Seonghwa says, sounding surprised. “Do I?” 

Hongjoong hums and nods. 

“Yeah,” he says. “I mean, I guess you’re just - you do all of these quiet but still super nice things and you always want to make sure everyone you care about is okay and all that jazz. You’re just . . . you’re really maternal, I guess. Motherly.” 

Seonghwa hums, carding his fingers through Hongjoong’s hair. He scratches behind his ears and Hongjoong, though his eyes are lidded, can see him smile a bit when he begins to purr. 

“I’ve never thought much of those little habits,” he says. Hongjoong shrugs. 

“Does anyone ever think about their habits, though?” 

Seonghwa laughs and shakes his head, pulling him over to kiss the crown of Hongjoong’s head. 

“I suppose not,” he says. Hongjoong giggles, moving to sit closer to him and closing his eyes. He sniffs the air. “Wait a minute-”

“Oh my gosh, the rabbit!” Seonghwa cries, leaping away from him. Hongjoong opens his eyes and laughs as he watches his boyfriend yank the animal away from the fire, blowing on it. 

“Bring it over here, let me try it,” Hongjoong says. Seonghwa looks up at him and then back at the rabbit. It looks  _ edible _ , sort of, though it’s not like they have a lot of options in the first place. 

“Are you sure?” Seonghwa asks. “I wouldn’t-”

“Let me have a bite at least. And isn’t there that saying about beggars not being choosy or something? Yeah. At the moment, we’re beggars,” Hongjoong says. Seonghwa snorts and shakes his head, but he comes over and sits beside Hongjoong, tearing a chunk of meat off. 

“It’s not my best work, but it’ll do for now,” he says, nibbling on his own piece. Hongjoong snorts as he eats. Seonghwa’s right about the rabbit not being his best work, but it’s far from the worst thing Hongjoong’s ever had the misfortune of eating. He thinks that it tastes pretty decent, which, considering their situation and supplies, is actually surprising and good. Hongjoong can’t imagine what would happen if it tasted like shit. 

After eating, Seonghwa and Hongjoong curl up near the fire and go to sleep. Already, large, white flakes of snow have begun to fall from the sky, and Hongjoong’s stomach churns as he lies beside Seonghwa. At least they got new clothes, though Hongjoong doubts that they’ll be useful if they get soaked. They just have to hope for the best.

Seonghwa is shivering when he wakes up. Hongjoong finds himself to be completely covered by his boyfriend’s wing. Seonghwa is shivering quite a lot, though, enough that Hongjoong gets out from under him and shakes him awake. 

“Seonghwa, wake up!” he says loudly, looking around. It’s still snowing, and Hongjoong can see how Seonghwa is dusted with white in the moonlight.

“Seonghwa!” he hisses, shaking him even more. “Seonghwa, you have to wake up!” 

Slowly, Seonghwa lifts his hand and looks around. He would be adorable if not for the fact that they need to bust their tails to get out of here or else things are gonna get a whole lot worse. 

“Seonghwa, we have to get going, you-” 

Seonghwa gets up slowly and shakes himself off, stretching. Hongjoong grabs his hand and begins dragging him along even if he doesn’t know where they’re supposed to be going. His heart thunders in his chest as his ears twitch constantly to shake the snow off, though Seonghwa’s wings don’t have the same ability and neither do his horns. 

“Hongjoong, let me-”

“It’s too risky in this weather,” Hongjoong says. He looks up at the sky and scowls. “We have to find somewhere to stay. You are  _ not _ flying in snow this heavy.” 

Seonghwa looks ready to protest, but Hongjoong is done with standing and he begins to drag Seonghwa through the forest again. They trip over logs and other obstacles, though, to be honest, as long as neither of them sustains any injuries, Hongjoong doesn’t care too much about that. 

“Come on, come on,” Hongjoong says. Seonghwa grunts but follows him anyway. 

They walk for as long as it snows, meaning they walk for the rest of the night. Seonghwa forces Hongjoong to take periodic breaks because Hongjoong knows that he’s verging on rushing, and it’s too risky to go any faster than he needs because he doesn’t have his inhaler now. 

“It’s okay, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa says soothingly, rubbing his back. Hongjoong hugs himself and tries not to cry. “It’s okay, I’m okay.”

“You won’t be!” Hongjoong whips around to yell. “Seonghwa, you’re going to die! I don’t know if you know this or not, but reptiles fucking die in the cold!” 

Seonghwa, somehow, doesn’t lash out at him, only pulling Hongjoong into his arms and hushing him with a soft kiss pressed to the top of his head. 

“I do know that, Joong,” he says quietly. Hongjoong can feel the tears running down his cheeks and Seonghwa’s sweatshirt is soaking them up. “I’m well-aware of how my body could react to these temperatures, and I’m very grateful that you’re so worried about me.” He rubs Hongjoong’s back and the cat hybrid lets the first sob loose, fisting his hands in his sweatshirt. “However, I don’t want you doing it at the expense of yourself. While I could die from the cold, that’s not nearly as likely as you having an asthma attack.”

Hongjoong sobs again, unable to stop himself from crying. Seonghwa hums and rocks him back and forth as they stand, running his fingers through Hongjoong’s hair. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay, sweetie,” he says. “I’m so happy you’re here to take care of me and I’m so happy I’m here to take care of you. You’re so good, sweetie. So, so good and so, so wonderful, aren’t you?” 

Hongjoong whimpers and presses himself closer to Seonghwa. The dragon hybrid moves them back until he can sit on a large stump, and then he helps Hongjoong climb into his lap. 

“I’m - I’m suh-sorry,” Hongjoong says pathetically. Seonghwa clicks his tongue and gently leans back, shaking his head. 

“Oh, no, darling, why are you sorry?” he asks, tilting his head. 

“I was - I was being-”

“You were worried,” Seonghwa tells him gently. He takes Hongjoong’s hands into his own and squeezes them, lifting them up to kiss his knuckles. “Sweet thing, I know you didn’t mean to be mean or anything along those lines. You were scared, and, honestly, you probably still are scared, and that’s okay. We’re both a little scared because this is a scary situation.” 

Hongjoong cries harder and hides his face in his chest, trying to seem as not-pathetic as possible. It’s a bit hard considering the fact that he’s bawling his eyes out. 

“Oh, my sweet little kitty,” Seonghwa says, running his fingers through Hongjoong’s hair. “You’re so, so wonderful, and I’m so honored to have you worrying about me, though it’s really okay. Everything is going to be okay.”

Hongjoong sniffles, pressing his face further into Seonghwa’s chest. He smells like smoke and that strange, indescribable new sweatshirt scent. Hongjoong doesn’t mind it, don’t get him wrong, but it’s just something that he’s noticed.

“See?” Seonghwa says, running his fingers through his hair and coming to stop. His hand rests on top of Hongjoong’s head. “Everything is going to be okay, I promise. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Hongjoong sniffles and nods, still hiding his face in Seonghwa’s chest. He just hopes that he’s right.

~

Chan blames the fact that he’s part canine. Canines - dogs, to be specific - are known for enjoying car rides, and, embarrassingly enough, Chan inherited the trait. Though he won’t say it out loud since what they’re doing is pretty serious, Chan is excited. 

And it’s not only for going on a road trip that’s going to take a few days. Chan has always wanted to go to the Jungle, a city that’s geared entirely toward hybrids. Despite his line of work, Chan has never been there. 

“How are you feeling?” Changbin asks him. Chan looks over and shrugs. 

“I didn’t really want to say it in front of San and Wooyoung, but . . . I’m pretty excited. To go to the city, that is. Not, like . . . I mean, it’s - Seonghwa is probably scared shitless and I wouldn’t be surprised if Hongjoong is too, but-”

“-You’re excited to be able to experience being in the Jungle?” Changbin says. Chan laughs and nods. 

“Yeah,” he says. He picks at his nails. “I mean, sure, it’s gonna suck to be in a car for so long, but . . . I really like the idea of a road trip.” 

Changbin laughs as he gets up and dusts himself off, shaking his head. 

“Yeah, okay, sure,” he says. “Let’s see if you still feel that way when Jisung forces us to pull over every few minutes to use the bathroom.” 

Chan laughs nervously as he gets up, scratching his neck and shaking his head. 

“You’ve gotta be exaggerating,” he says. “Jisung wouldn’t be like that.” 

“Yay!” Felix says, skipping to the car with his bags. Chan smiles gently at him as he watches, adjusting the strap of his bag. 

“Gosh, you really are gone,” someone says from beside him. Chan jumps and then turns to look over at Jeongguk, finding the rabbit hybrid to be watching Felix as he gets into the van. 

“Like you aren’t,” Chan says, chuckling. He points at Taehyung with his chin. “You guys seem to be perpetually stuck in your honeymoon phase.” 

Jeongguk hums, glancing at his boyfriend. He and Taehyung, as far as Chan knows, have been dating for two - almost three years now - years, ever since they both gave each other love letters for Christmas. Chan had been there. He remembers how annoying it had been to watch them dance around each other. 

“We’ve had our rough patches,” Jeongguk says quietly. “Taehyungie and I have struggled. We’re just - even before we pursued a relationship, we were already so attuned to each other, so it’s never been too difficult for us to understand one another.” He turns and grins at Chan. “Jimin-Hyung might be his platonic soulmate, but I’m his romantic one.” 

Chan snorts. 

“You’re lucky,” he says, looking at Felix as he helps San and Wooyoung with their things. “Have you ever . . . have you-”

“Have we ever thought about breaking up?” Jeongguk says. Chan nods, embarrassed.

“Not seriously, no,” Jeongguk says after some thought. He shrugs. “I mean, if you count the heat-of-the-moment stuff, then yeah, I’ve thought about it, but never - I’ve never actually considered it.” He smiles softly. “Because whatever happens, I know we’re going to work it out. We always have, always will. It’s just a fact of life.” 

Chan hums, turning back to Felix. 

“But that’s not what I wanted to talk about with you,” Jeongguk says. His tone turns serious and his expression grows stony. “You’re going to be going to the hybrid city.” 

Chan nods. 

“You have to be careful out there, okay?” Jeongguk says. “Even though you’re a hybrid, you’re still gonna get shitted on if you don’t know how to hold your own. You’ve - you have to be firm about everything, understand? Everything is overpriced, everyone is untrustworthy, everyone is suspicious of you. You can’t trust anyone except for the people you bring with you, okay?” 

“Have you been there before?” Chan asks.

Jeongguk purses his lips. 

“Once,” he says. “I - we were all really young and Jin-Hyung took us. He wanted to show us that hybrids and people weren’t much different, meaning that they could all be shady and bigoted even if they looked different on the outside.”

Chan nods again, glancing back toward the car. 

“Oh, yeah, the vans,” Jeongguk says as if he’s just read the wolf hybrid’s mind. He reaches into his pocket and pulls something out, handing it to Chan. 

“What is this?” he asks. 

“It’s - it’ll keep your cars from getting stolen,” Jeongguk says. He shrugs. “I mean, I dunno how to explain it, but I’m pretty sure it’ll work. Like, 90% sure. Okay, maybe it’s only, like, 80%, but still. 80% is still pretty good.” 

Chan snorts as he pockets the little device, nodding at him. 

“Thanks,” he says. Jeongguk shrugs. 

“Don’t mention it,” he says. Chan begins walking away, but then Jeongguk grabs his wrist and tugs him back into a hug. 

“Be safe out there, okay?” he says quietly. Chan hugs him back, closing his eyes. “We don’t - please come back. I don’t - I don’t want to have to make any more body parts.” 

Chan hums and hugs him tightly. 

“Don’t worry, you won’t,” he says. “I promise.” 

Jeongguk snorts as he pulls away, shaking his head. 

“You’d better make good on that, or else Jin-Hyung’s gonna have your head,” he says. Chan laughs, waving at him as he heads to the van. 

“I’ll try my best!” he yells. 

“You guys were talking about getting back?” Felix asks when he gets in. Chan hums and nods, putting the keys in and glancing out the window. He can see the others clustered around the front entrance, and he waves at them. 

“What does he think is gonna happen?” San says, leaning in from the back. 

“He didn’t say,” Chan says as he pulls out of the garage. The GPS is set for where they  _ think _ Seonghwa is going, though Soobin, Yeonjun, Hueningkai, Taehyun, Beomgyu, Yunho, Mingi, Jongho, and Yeosang are all going to do some digging on Seonghwa to try and find some more information to narrow down where he could be.

“How long are we gonna be in the car?” Wooyoung says, resting his chin on San’s head. The snake hybrid bats him away, huffing playfully. 

“The trip is supposed to take two to three days. It’s closer to two. You guys all went to the bathroom?” 

“We did,” Felix says, nodding. He glances around. “Let’s just hope Jisung did too.” 

“Yeah, Changbin said something about that,” Chan says. He turns to Felix, tilting his head. “What’s up with that?” 

“Well,” Felix says, “once when we were on a trip and you were being a workaholic, Jisung had to go to the bathroom, so we pulled over.” Felix purses his lips and begins adjusting the music. “And then we kept driving. But five minutes or so later, Jisung makes us pull over again.” He facepalms and groans loudly while San and Wooyoung laugh. Chan can only feel horror because if this is how Jisung is on road trips then they’re going to be way behind schedule. 

“Well then,” he says, clearing his throat as he turns back to the road, “maybe this is going to be the exception?” 

It starts out well. They stop at a drive-thru to grab breakfast, though it’s nothing big. An hour or so into the drive, while they’re still near the city and buildings, Jisung has to use the bathroom so everyone takes a quick break to empty their bladders, but it’s nothing big. 

And then, of course, as in the story, Jisung has to go to the bathroom again. And again. And again. And Chan is slowly-

_ “Hey, Chan-Hyung?” _ a voice says, breaking through the music that Felix has been playing. Chan resists the urge to back his car into Minho and Jisung’s. 

“What is it?” he says, trying to keep his patience. He can hear Felix, Wooyoung, and San snickering in the back, and the phone is picking up on Minho and Seungmin’s laughter as well. 

_ “I - uh, I have to go to the bathroom,” _ Jisung says.  _ “Again.” _

Chan bites back a groan. 

“Well,” he says, glancing around the van, “do you think you can hold it?” 

_ “He cannot hold it, do  _ not  _ believe anything else,” _ Minho yells. Chan sighs heavily. 

“Okay, fine,” he says. “Go to the bathroom. Just - just please, don’t drink any water unless it’s  _ absolutely necessary _ , okay? Do you understand? We’re really going to be behind schedule if you keep this up.”

Jisung laughs nervously. 

_ “Okay, Hyung,” _ he says. Chan hums and pulls over on the side of the road, glancing at the cars as they rush by. The windows are open only a little bit because of San, so the heat has to be cranked up as well. Wooyoung has slept through a lot of the trip so far, so good for him, but Chan has been the designated driver. Felix has frequented the front seat, but he too has taken a few naps with Wooyoung and San in the back. 

“Are you tired?” the cat hybrid asks. Chan hums and rubs his eyes, shaking his head as he watches Jisung scramble out of the car and hide behind a tree.

“Kind of. Just a bit sick of having to pull over all the time,” he says. Felix laughs sweetly and it’s almost enough to make Jisung’s stupidly frequent bathroom breaks okay.

“It could be worse. He at least doesn’t get carsick, right?” Felix says. Chan hums and shrugs. 

“I mean, I’m not really in that van, so I don’t have to worry about it too much. But yes, I suppose it could be worse,” Chan says. Felix giggles and nods, leaning his head on Chan’s shoulder and reaching down to lace their fingers together. 

_ “He’s back,” _ Minho says. Chan glances over, though he can’t exactly see the van Minho and Jisung are in, so he supposes he’ll just take their word for it. 

“All right,” Chan says, “is everyone ready to go?” 

He receives a chorus of yes’s from the others and then he starts the car and drives off. 

Chan is hardly surprised when he figures out that they’re going to need to pull into a hotel. He ferries the news back to the others, receiving several groans in response. Felix, somehow, is excited about it, though that doesn’t come as much of a surprise either because Felix has always been an optimist. 

“How long until we get to the hotel?” Wooyoung says. Chan shrugs.

“An hour or so, give or take. Depending on how many bathroom breaks Jisung takes, though, it could be even more than what it says here.” He glances around at the fox hybrid. “Why, do you have to use the bathroom?” 

“Nah,” Wooyoung says. “I’m just bored as hell.” 

“Ah,” Chan says, nodding. “Well, I’m afraid that I can’t exactly do anything about that.” 

Wooyoung snorts, heading back to be with San, most likely. The two have spent a majority of their trip in the back of the van, and Chan’s only hope is that they aren’t doing anything indecent. He doesn’t think he’s asking for much, but, with those two, you never know. 

“Hey,” Felix says softly, nudging him, “let me drive. You should go take a nap. We only have an hour or so until we get to the hotel; why don’t you go eat something?” 

“I’ll nap when we get to the hotel,” Chan mumbles, rubbing his eyes. Felix sighs and clicks his tongue, shaking his head. 

“Let me drive, Hyung,” he says. Soft but persistent. “I know you’re tired.” 

Chan grunts, glancing over at him before he begrudgingly pulls over. Felix laughs, getting out of the car. San and Wooyoung come to the front of the van, watching curiously as they trade their positions. 

And then, as Chan goes to get back into the van, a black blur zooms by. Wooyoung chases after San as the snake hybrid dashes toward the forest, making his way through the brush. 

“San, wait!” Chan calls. But the snake hybrid clearly doesn’t care about what anyone else has to say as he disappears into the forest.

“I can get him,” Wooyoung says, not turning around to even look at Chan before he chases after his boyfriend. Chan bites his lip and sighs, looking around. 

“I’ll call the others?” Felix offers. Chan hums and nods, watching as the other van pulls over. The others are quick to get out, coming over to cluster around the edge of the forest. 

“What’s going on?” Seungmin asks. 

“Where are Wooyoung and San?” Changbin adds.

“I’m gonna follow them, but I don’t - all of you should stay here and get back in the vans. Hide your ears and tails, we don’t want any authorities offering to ‘help’ us, okay?” 

They all nod and Chan adjusts his jacket before turning to the forest. He’s armed in case anything goes wrong, so that allows him a small amount of comfort as he walks in. He doesn’t try to be quiet, though he could if he wanted to. He’s really more focused on finding Wooyoung and San right now.

“Wooyoung? San? Where are you guys?” Chan calls into the forest, cupping his hand around his mouth. 

“Over here!” Wooyoung yells back. Chan’s ears twitch as he follows a slightly-used path through the forest toward the origin of Wooyoung’s voice, coming to find a small clearing with Wooyoung and San sitting in the middle of it. 

But what really catches his attention is the little spot of ashes on the ground. There are clothes too, and Chan’s heart thunders. 

“Was it them?” he asks, rushing forward. 

San’s tongue darts out while he takes several deep breaths, pressing one of the tatters to his nose. 

“It was,” Wooyoung says for him. “He’s - the fire makes it harder, but he’s pretty sure it was them.” He kicks at the pile of wood with a blank face. “We didn’t find much, so I don’t think they changed their clothes around here; Seonghwa probably went deeper into the forest to ease his mind.” 

Chan nods. 

“So they might not be there when we arrive?” he asks. 

San shakes his head. 

“No,” he says, his voice breathy and raspy. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls something out. “They’re going to need one of these to get through.” 

It’s an inhaler. Chan can remember Hongjoong having an asthma attack, one so bad that he ended up going to the hospital. 

“Do you think-”

“I bet Seonghwa’s going to try and steal one, though,” Wooyoung says. Once again, he kicks at the remains of the campsite. “We should start keeping an eye out for this stuff. Check for any thieveries. Something’s going to come up.” 

Chan hums, looking around. The place looks like Seonghwa and Hongjoong left quite a while ago, presumably a few days ago. 

“There you are.” They all turn around to see Felix pushing a branch away from his face, scrunching his nose. “We were getting worried.” 

“Sorry,” Chan says. “Did - is something wrong?” 

“Changbin-Hyung said it’s going to start getting suspicious if we keep - if we don’t leave soon,” Felix says. “We should get going ASAP. He said we don’t know how much time we have left until someone calls the authorities to investigate.”

Chan nods, turning to Wooyoung and San. The snake hybrid is still poking around while Wooyoung stands over him, looking suspiciously at the surrounding forest.

“You guys ready to go?” Chan asks them. 

Wooyoung looks down at San and nudges him with his foot. 

“You ready to go, Sannie?” he asks. San looks up and nods, dusting himself off. He tucks the inhaler and scrap of clothing into his pocket, turning to Chan. 

“We’re - yeah, I have everything,” San says, nodding. He grabs Wooyoung’s hand, rubbing his thumb on the top of it. “We have - we can go now. How long ‘til the hotel, do you think?” 

“An hour or two, give or take,” Chan says as they begin walking back. He glances over at San. “What made you bolt like that, though? It was so sudden.” 

San shrugs. 

“I’ll show you when we get back,” he says. Chan hums and nods, looking down when someone grabs his hand. He looks back up at Felix as the cat hybrid leads them back, taking in his pinkened ears and the reddened tip of his nose. His blond hair is messy but it only makes him even cuter than usual, and Chan can’t help but realize how whipped he really is for the cat hybrid leading him.

“Come over here,” San says, waving his hand. Due to the lack of specification as to whom he’s speaking to, all of them follow him in a cluster until they get to a tree.

“What’s so special about the tree?” Hyunjin asks. “I mean, not that-”

“Here,” San says, gesturing to the center of the trunk. Chan squints and leans forward, trying to figure out what San’s talking about. 

“There’s . . . nothing . . . there?” he says, turning to the snake hybrid and drawing a groan from him. He blows against the trunk and scrubs at it, revealing a carved  _ SH _ . 

“He signs everything with this,” San says. He shrugs. “Or, I mean, at least he  _ did _ before VIPER blew up and shit. Then he got the seal. He had a ring with it, and I heard-”

“-that he used real wax for it,” Felix finishes. Everyone turns to look at him and the cat hybrid blushes, shrugging. “I - um, I really enjoyed - enjoy his designs, even though it was said that he was really mean to his hybrid employees, but I - um, I just really like his work, and I read a few articles about him. And yeah.” 

“Huh,” Chan says. He glances at Felix. “I didn’t know you liked fashion.” 

“It - I’ve never had much time to focus on it,” he says. Chan hums and takes his hand, squeezing it. 

“Well, okay, that’s cute and all, but we should head back to the vans, like, right now,” Minho says. He and Jisung are already walking away. “Come on, gays.” 

“We don’t marginalize bisexuals in this household!” Changbin shouts. Seungmin hits the back of his head and they keep walking.

It’s extremely late when they get to the bathroom, kudos to Jisung’s constant bathroom breaks. But, when they arrive, they check in without any hiccups and head to their rooms. 

“Oh, gosh, finally some alone time,” Felix says, flopping down on the bed. Chan laughs as he puts their bags down, shaking his head fondly.

“Aw, I thought that it was a fun bonding experience,” he says. Felix snorts and shakes his head, rolling over to look at Chan. 

“Sure you did,” he says. “You totally heard Wooyoung-Hyung and San-Hyung fuck in the bathroom; you sure you really feel that way when you heard how loud they get?” 

“Okay, sure, that was pretty gross,” Chan agrees as he lies down beside Felix. “However, it was still pretty bonding, don’t you think?” 

“Uh-huh. Anyway, I can think of a few other  _ bonding _ activities,” Felix says, giggling and rolling onto his stomach. Chan’s heart rate spikes as his tail and ears stiffen, all of the blood getting caught between rushing to his face or further south. 

“Oh my God, Felix-”

“Let’s cuddle!” the cat hybrid chirps, throwing himself at Chan. The wolf hybrid yelps, surprised, but he pulls him into his arms nonetheless. 

“I thought you meant something else,” he says as he runs his fingers through Felix’s hair. Felix snorts and shakes his head, looking up at him. 

“You dirty-minded idiot,” he says. Chan grunts, pouting. 

“Don’t act like you didn’t imply it,” he says. Felix giggles and kisses him. His lips are chapped from the car ride but Chan still finds that he doesn’t want to pull away. 

“We need to get ready for bed,” Felix says quietly, pulling away from him and resting his forehead against Chan’s. The wolf hybrid hums, leaning forward to kiss him again. 

“We should,” he says. He gets up, pulling Felix to his feet, and the two of them head to the bathroom together. They take turns showering and brushing their teeth, then they contemplate whether or not they should get food before deciding that neither of them is very hungry, so they end up going to bed. 

“It’s a bit exciting, isn’t it?” Felix whispers. Chan hums and steals another kiss, quickly pressing his lips against Felix’s. 

“Yeah,” he whispers back. “I mean, not the exact situation that we’re in, but - I dunno. I just wanna do this again under better circumstances. I think it could be really fun.” 

Felix laughs softly and kisses him. 

“You really like road trips, don’t you?” he asks. Chan shrugs and smiles bashfully, pressing his hand against the small of Felix’s back to pull him closer.

“I mean, yeah, I guess you could say that,” he says. Felix giggles and rubs their noses together, shaking his head. 

“You’re so cute, Hyung,” he says. 

“So are you,” Chan says. He pulls Felix even closer because nothing ever seems to sate him. Felix, thankfully, doesn’t seem to mind.

“I’m not going to say anything because I know we’re going to be awake for the entire night if I do, so I’m just going to tell you to go to sleep because we’ve got a big day ahead of us. Okay, good night-”

“Kisses first,” Chan says. Felix giggles yet again but he leans forward anyway. Chan kisses him softly but he does it firmly, pressing his lips against Felix’s and holding him as closely as he can.

“ _ Now, _ you can say good night,” he says. Felix blinks at him a few times, his eyes adorably wide and dazed. 

“G-good night,” he stammers. It’s Chan’s turn to giggle as he closes his eyes with a soft sigh through his nose, his shoulders relaxing as he slowly falls asleep.

“Why is your hair pink.” 

San looks up at him, and, yup, his hair is indeed pink. His black eyes are a good contrast, but Chan isn’t exactly worried about that. He’s much more focused on the fact that San’s hair is bright pink, a color that won’t be hard for anyone to pinpoint. 

“We dyed it yesterday,” San says. He shrugs. “It took a few hours, but no worries - Woo and I are both planning on sleeping in the van.” 

“That’s not what I-”

“You ever been to the Jungle?” Wooyoung interrupts. He rests his chin on his palm, playing with his food. “If you have, then you’d know that looking different and strange is what’s expected. The city was built as someone’s art project - anonymity is standing out. What’s that saying? If everyone stands out then we’re all one in the same?” 

“I don’t think that’s a saying,” Changbin says. Wooyoung hits him. 

“It is now. But that’s beside the point. What I’m saying is that dying Sannie’s hair pink is  _ good _ . And look, I know you’re good at your job, Chan-Hyung, and that this probably isn’t your “protocol” or whatever, but we’re all gonna need to make some changes to get through this. So just trust us, okay?” 

“We’re gonna die if Wooyoung and San are our guides,” Changbin groans. The other two hybrids both hit him. 

“Okay,” Chan says, sitting down. He wags his finger at the two. “But no funny business, understand? If you try to shave anyone’s heads-”

“Ooh! Me!” Minho calls, waving his hand. 

“No, you idiot, not you!” Chan says. 

“Aww . . .”

“It’s okay, babe, I’m sure you’d look great,” Jisung says, patting his boyfriend’s hand. Chan pinches himself and decides to eat his breakfast before he can lose any more of his patience

They only drive for a few more hours before they begin noticing the city. The cars and forest have both begun to disappear, making them some of the only ones on the highway. If Chan said he was unsettled, it would be a bit of an understatement - he’s grown up in cities where everything concerning people is always densely populated, so seeing the near-empty highway makes his stomach twist uncomfortably. Nonetheless, he keeps driving, until, at long last, they reach the city.

~

Soobin watches as Chan and the others drive off in their vans, waving after them. And then, once they’re gone, they all turn around and head back inside, shivering all the while. 

“Gosh, it’s so cold,” Hueningkai grumbles, hugging himself as they walk back toward the elevator. Soobin laughs. 

“Well, it’s the middle of winter, so I think it’s a bit expected,” he says. Hueningkai scowls at him, hunching his shoulders up to his ears. 

“When are we supposed to head to the penthouse?” Taehyun asks Namjoon. The dragon hybrid hums and shrugs. 

“Soon. Hopefully today, but only if you’re up to it. I’d like you guys to go tomorrow at the latest, though,” he says. “But, like I said, it’s up to you.” 

Soobin looks around. 

“Do guys wanna go today or tomorrow?” he says. “I mean, I don’t care either way.” 

No one appears to have any qualms about going to Seonghwa’s penthouse today if the casual looks on their faces and lack of negative responses are anything to go by. 

“We should go today,” Yeosang says, shrugging. “We don’t know how much time we have until they go to raid the place, so we should probably go now if we’re all up for it.”

“Well, then, let’s go get you all ready,” Jimin says. They all follow him through the shelter until they get to some sort of room that Soobin’s never been in before. 

“We don’t like taking these out because of how particular they are about keeping the number of White Guards they have under control,” Jimin says, gesturing to the suits lined up. He shrugs and grabs one of the guns, adjusting it in his arms. “But, I mean, they’ve been used.” 

“In simulations, you mean,” Taehyung says as he walks in. Jimin shrugs. 

“Eh, they’ll be fine,” he says, waving his hand. “They look realistic enough that no one who isn’t a guard would notice. Just trust me on this, okay? We’re pretty sure you’ll pass, but you have to be careful. Don’t do anything too rash, okay?” 

Soobin nods, looking over at the suits. They certainly don’t look like knockoffs to him, and he’s had far more experience with White Guards than he’d like. Then again, pretty much any experience with them is-

“Where are the badges?” Mingi asks quietly. 

“What?” Jimin says, turning to them. The dog hybrid runs his fingers over the sleeves. 

“They have - they have little ID badges on their wrists,” he says. “They use them - they use them to catalog things. Like arrests and stuff.” 

“You . . . I don’t know if this is overstepping my bounds, but you’ve had experience with them?” Taehyung says. 

Mingi shrugs, trying to look casual. He leans into Yunho’s chest, avoiding their eyes. 

“Once, yeah,” he mumbles. He, Yunho, and Yeosang all look ready to change the topic of the conversation. “Just - just a questioning.” 

“Oh,” Jimin says. He musters up a smile “Well, then, I’ll start working on that. We-”

“No, it’s fine,” Mingi says. “It’s not something anyone would notice if they weren’t a guard or if they hadn’t been taken in by them. No one will notice, don’t worry.” 

Jimin purses his lips. It looks like he wants to say more, but Mingi’s made it clear that he isn’t open to any more questions, so he keeps quiet as they all begin to get dressed.

“Okay,” Soobin says, looking around and finding everyone to have changed into their . . . suits, for lack of a better term. Soobin holds his helmet by his side and bites his lip, his ears twitching. 

“We’re gonna have to drive,” Taehyun says, looking at his reflection in the glass covering of his helmet. He looks up at them, his gaze firm. “I am  _ not _ letting any of you drive me. I’ll do it.” 

Jimin and Taehyung both laugh as Beomgyu pouts at his boyfriend. 

“Aw, please, Taehyunnie?” he says, sticking his lower lip out. He bats his eyes to further the effect, but Taehyun still gives him a deadpan look. “Why not?” 

“Because, as much as I love you, I don’t trust you to drive. Wouldn’t, not even if there was a gun to my head.” 

Beomgyu lifts his gun and Taehyun hits him, and then they both head out. Soobin sighs and shakes his head. 

“Ah, they really are made for each other,” Jimin sighs. Hueningkai cackles, shaking his head. 

“All right, sure, see you, Hyungs,” the snake hybrid says. He hugs Jimin then Taehyung, pulling away with a grin before he puts his helmet on. Soobin watches as the others file out, but Yeonjun stops in the doorway and turns to look back at him. 

“You comin’?” he asks. Soobin waves his hand. 

“Yeah, I’ll be there, just a second,” he says. Yeonjun smiles at him and nods. 

“Okay, see you, baby,” he says. Soobin snorts. 

“See you,” he says. Yeonjun walks away and, even though he’s seen him without it before, it’s still weird to not see his tail following him.

“Okay,” Soobin says, “you guys can probably guess what I’m going to ask, but I’m gonna ask anyway.” 

Jimin crosses his arms and Taehyung snorts. 

“Is it about Seonghwa?” he says. Soobin nods. Taehyung shrugs, looking around the room. “You wanna know why Namjoon-Hyung is so hell-bent on catching him, don’t you?” 

“He just - I have a feeling he’s not normally like this about hybrids,” Soobin says. Jimin shrugs. 

“I mean, you’re not  _ totally _ wrong to say that because yes, he’s much more - he’s being much pushier than usual about catching him, but he’s still usually pretty adamant about this stuff.” He shrugs, looking away from Soobin. “I just - he doesn’t want to make any assumptions about, well, anything, really, because he wants to do a lot more research to figure out what triggered that change. So that’s where you guys come in.”

Soobin nods slowly. 

“Do you . . . do you think there’s a chance of them being related somehow?” he asks. 

Taehyung snorts and shakes his head. 

“Oh, hell no,” he says. “I mean, you have to go soon so I won’t get too deep into it, but, basically, Namjoon-Hyung is . . . I dunno, he didn’t have that sort of evolutionary period that I’m  _ guessing _ Seonghwa did, and they’re both different colors. There are probably more differences, though I haven’t seen enough to be sure. Just try to grab some DNA samples or something when you’re there, okay?” 

Soobin nods. 

“All right, we’ll try,” he says. He turns around to go, stopping to wave at the two hybrids over his shoulder. “I’ll see you guys when we get home.” 

“Try not to get caught!” Jimin yells. He can hear Taehyung hit him and Soobin snorts to himself, shaking his head as he walks out. 

“Gosh, it’s about time,” Yeosang says when he gets in. Yeonjun laughs and Soobin, once again, snorts at the cheetah’s hybrid’s behavior as he sits down. 

“Can you believe that we’ll be going to Mr. Park’s penthouse apartment?” Mingi whispers to Yunho. The other dog hybrid hums and leans his head on top of his boyfriend’s. Mingi glances up at him. “Are you nervous?” 

“It’s the first time anyone’s been there, right?” Jongho asks, looking around. Soobin nods, along with everyone else in the van. 

“You’ve never been?” Hueningkai asks Yeosang. The cheetah hybrid shrugs and Jongho squeezes his hand. 

“Once,” he says. He shrugs again. “We - I don’t like talking about it because he had come over to talk him out of . . . out of committing suicide. He was really drunk so I doubt he remembers, but he just . . . he called me super late at night and it was, like, sometime before . . . before he  _ really _ blew up as a designer.” Yeosang frowns. “He had a lot of money and he just . . . he kept talking. He talked about his family and his older brother and some guy named Andre. I didn’t really say anything, though, because he ended up sobbing himself to sleep.” 

“Do you know if his brother is still alive?” Soobin asks. 

“Why don’t we look it up?” Taehyun says from the front. 

“Yeah,” Beomgyu says. “The drive isn’t exactly short, so it’s a good thing to search up. Does anyone have a phone or something on them?” 

“Here,” Jongho says, pulling his BluScreen out from his pocket. “Does . . . Seonghwa . . . Park . . . have . . . a . . . brother?” 

“What’s it say?” Yeosang asks, leaning over his shoulder. 

“Just that he’s really elusive and shit. Everything about him is something he’s chosen to share. Nothing that’s been dug up by someone else,” Jongho says. He sighs and turns the device off, sliding it into his pocket. 

“Is there anything on what happened? Like, the dragon part?” Yeonjun says. 

Jongho shrugs. 

“I dunno, I didn’t check,” he says. He turns and glances toward the front. “Taehyun, are we almost there yet?” 

“Yeah, I just need to park,” Taehyun says. He turns around and Beomgyu does the same, revealing to the rest of them that they’ve put their helmets on. 

“You guys should put these on. We don’t wanna be suspicious or anything,” Beomgyu says, his voice slightly muffled due to his helmet. Soobin grabs his helmet and pulls it over his head, looking around as the rest of them do the same. 

“Here we go,” Taehyun calls. The van pulls to a stop and they all get up. Hueningkai opens the doors and they all exit the van, filing out to stand on the street in front of the large, looming building. 

“Act natural,” Yeonjun hisses before nudging Soobin to the front. The panther hybrid straightens his posture and walks briskly toward the entrance, heading inside. 

_ “You guys are there?” _

“Holy  _ shit, _ ” Yeosang whispers under his breath. 

Yoongi laughs. 

_ “Sorry about that,” _ he says.  _ “I just wanted to make sure you guys were still around. Jimin didn’t tell you that I wired the helmets, I’m guessing?”  _

“Not a word,” Soobin says quietly as they get into separate elevators. Yoongi snorts from the other end of the line. 

_ “I’m not surprised. Anyway, I’m popping in to tell you that you have little scanners to open up his room. It’s on the fifth floor, okay? Floor five of the building. Nowhere else.” _

“Yup, we got it,” Beomgyu chirps. “Thanks, Hyung.” 

Yoongi chuckles. Ever since Soobin met him, he’s been sure that the cat hybrid’s had a soft spot for Beomgyu. 

_ “No problem,” _ Yoongi says.  _ “I’ll see you guys later. Be quick though. We don’t know when the  _ real _ guards are gonna get there.” _

“Don’t worry,” Soobin tells him as the elevator doors open, “we’ll be out before you know it.” 

Yoongi snorts and hangs up, and they all file into the hall. Soobin opens the door to Seonghwa’s apartment and tries not to gawk at the place as he turns to the rest of his friends. 

“All right,” he says, “we should split up and search each room on our own, and then we’ll come back together to go over what we have. Try not to destroy or mess it up too much ‘cause we don’t want it to be obvious that we were here, okay?” 

Everyone nods and Soobin can only guess who’s whom by their heights. He nods back at them and then turns around, heading up the stairs. 

Somehow, Seonghwa’s penthouse is still untouched. Soobin first heads into what appears to be the study, looking around curiously. Nothing has started to gather any dust yet, though Soobin isn’t exactly surprised by that. He pokes around the room, checking the books for any secret doors or anything along those lines. Strangely enough, though, Seonghwa’s study appears to be perfectly normal. 

“Hey.” 

Soobin looks up as Taehyun (he’s pretty sure it’s Taehyun. He thinks that was his voice) enters the room. He has a little device in his hand and he makes a beeline toward the fireplace, crouching down in front of it. 

“What are you doing?” Soobin asks, kneeling beside him. 

“Scanning the ashes,” Taehyun says. He’s looking at the little screen on his device, though it appears to be loading still. A second or so later, though, it releases a quiet ding. 

“Papers,” Taehyun says. “It can’t specify what was on them, but they had information. See? They had some sort of ink on them.” 

“He really  _ was _ rich,” Soobin says. “Burning paper is nothing a normal person would do.” 

Taehyun snorts, poking through the ashes with a stick. 

“I mean, yeah, but his life was probably in jeopardy too. We can’t really forget that now, can we?” he says. Soobin shrugs. 

“Well, no, we can’t,” Soobin says. He gestures around the room. “Do you wanna take this place over, or do you want to-”

“I’ll take care of it,” Taehyun says, laughing. Soobin shrugs again as he walks out of the room, waving over his shoulder. 

The panther hybrid finds a bedroom, and he thinks that it’s the master bedroom. He opens the door carefully and peeks inside, looking around even though he knows that it’s going to be empty. 

“Gosh,” Soobin says to himself as he looks around. The bed has been made and the room looks as if it hasn’t had a single person in it for . . . well, Soobin doesn’t really know when someone was last here. Probably the day of the explosion, though. Embarrassingly enough, he doesn’t know how many days ago that was.

Sighing to himself, Soobin shakes his head as he begins to look through the room. He starts with the obvious factors by opening the drawers and closet. Most of them just have normal things in them, but one of them catches his eye. 

“Huh,” Soobin says as he looks through the magazines and newspaper clippings. “That’s kinda weird. People don’t usually keep these anymore.” 

_ Who are you talking to, Soobin? _ he thinks to himself, shaking his head. Soobin sighs and continues to look through the fashion magazines, though he begins to slow down when they’re replaced with Korean newspapers. One of them has an article about a sixteen-year-old boy who disappeared before his wedding, and Soobin finds that it’s Seonghwa himself. In the newspaper, his name is ‘Seonghwa Lee’, though, so he supposes it’s hidden his identity somewhat.

What he finds next, though, makes his chest close up. Soobin’s hands shake as he pulls the clipping out, staring wide-eyed at the picture of the dead hybrid. He looks scarily similar to Seonghwa and is simply much younger. His skin is bloodied and his eyes are glazed over, and it’s clear that he’s dead. No name is mentioned, but the article says that he’s been credited with the deaths of two . . .

Soobin frowns and squints, trying to get a better look at the paper in hopes of deciphering what it says. Someone - most likely Seonghwa himself - has scribbled out the rest of the sentence. Soobin is guessing that the hybrid pictured is his older brother. He thinks back to Yeosang’s story about the designer and his frown deepens as he runs his fingers over the picture, tracing the lines of the hybrid’s face. 

“It looks like his village was massacred too,” he says. Soobin whistles. “Shit.” 

_ “Soobin-ah,” _ Yeonjun says suddenly, causing the hybrid to jump. 

“Hyung?” he says. “What is it? Is everything-”

_ “White Guards. Find somewhere to hide, we don’t have time to leave. Yeosang says that Seonghwa probably has a bunch of hidden compartments, just check the walls or something like that. Whatever you do, though, you  _ cannot _ be seen. Understand?” _

Soobin nods before he remembers that Yeonjun can’t say him and says, “Yeah. On it. Be careful, okay?” 

_ “Only if you are too. Now shut up, they’re practically-” _

Soobin’s ears twitch inside of his helmet at the sound of footsteps. He curses and rushes to the wall, running his hand over it until-

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck,” Soobin says, looking around. Somehow, he’s ended up in a little room. Thankfully, Soobin still has the newspaper clipping, so that’s good. He gropes around the space in hopes of finding something like a light switch. 

He does, but not before he notices something pressing against his back. And either the wall is excited to see him, or that’s-

“Holy shit, that’s a gun,” Soobin breathes, having reached behind himself. He’s seen and held enough weapons to know that the object behind him is nothing to play with. Slowly, Soobin looks around the little room, which is full of weapons. He sees several guns and knives, along with some other things that he can’t exactly name. Soobin’s heart thunders as he takes in the sight, his heart creeping into his throat. 

_ He is so totally crazy, _ Soobin thinks.  _ This man is totally out of his mind.  _

However, Soobin doesn’t exactly have time to worry about that because he can hear someone coming into the bedroom, and that is  _ not _ a good thing. Especially since one wrong move (or, well, if we’re looking at it from the Guard’s point of view, then one  _ right _ move) could most likely end up with Soobin dead/caught. They’re pretty much one in the same with what he’s doing. 

_ Please leave, please leave, _ Soobin thinks, shutting his eyes. He turns the lights off because one can never be too careful, especially when one’s life is in jeopardy. Soobin just has to wait a bit and then everything will be fine. 

_ Taking a weapon and attacking would be suicide anyway, _ he thinks, glancing at the wall.  _ I might not be a genius, but I’m smart enough to know that. _

He doesn’t know how long he spends in the hidden compartment. All he knows is that it’s long enough for his legs to grow stiff and his back to develop an ache from the gun pressing into it. Whatever the case is, though, Soobin is just relieved to be out. 

“Holy shit, that was fucking  _ terrifying _ ,” Jongho says once they’ve regrouped in the now-destroyed living room. Everyone nods, looking around at each other. 

“How did it go for you guys?” Soobin asks. He holds up the newspaper clipping. “I found a little bit of his backstory, anyone else?”

“Yunho found his old passport,” Mingi says, pointing to his boyfriend. The dog hybrid pulls out a box from behind him and opens it up, showing them the small booklet inside. 

“Lee Seonghwa?” Beomgyu reads, frowning and tilting his head. “Is that, like - was Lee the name of his adoptive family or something?”

“Probably,” Yeosang says with a shrug. “I mean, the only person who can really confirm anything in these things is Mr. Park himself, so, like, the only - right now, we can only really take this stuff and hope it’s not fake evidence.”

“Why would he have that?” Yeonjun says. “It - that doesn’t really make sense.” 

“He was a tortured designer, hardly anything he ever did or does makes sense,” Hueningkai says, waving his hand. “Anyway, I think I found something that he left for us.” 

“Wait, what?” Soobin asks, turning to the snake hybrid. “What is it? Where did you find it?” 

“Why do you think it’s for us?” Taehyun asks. “Is it, like, is there-”

“Just let him show the damn thing, it’ll probably answer all of our questions,” Yeonjun says, waving his hand. He turns to Hueningkai and nods, saying, “Go ahead. You’ve got our attention.”

“You sound like a teacher psyching a student up for a presentation,” Hueningkai mumbles. He shakes his head, shrugging as he reaches into his suit and pulls something out. “But, well, anyways, I was lookin’ around in one of the rooms upstairs and then I slipped on the carpet.” Carefully, Hueningkai flattens out the folded piece of paper on the coffee table, grinning slyly beneath his helmet. Soobin’s breath catches in his throat when he sees what the hybrid brought. 

Because sitting on the table is a map of NYC and its hybrid counterpart, the Jungle. Blaringly red circles with scribbled locations are the most noticeable, and Hueningkai’s grin widens as they all look up at him. 

“I guess we know where we’re going next, huh?” he says. 


	5. Location, Location, Location

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Location matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall im getting a puppy uwu this highkey isnt important to the plot I just wanted to talk abt it

Chan adjusts his jacket and looks around. They’ve stopped at a hotel, checked-in, and hidden their vans. They all agreed to meet in Chan, Felix, Minho, and Jisung’s room. Only after everyone had showered and changed his clothes, though, so Chan and Jisung are sitting together as Felix gets dressed and Minho showers. 

“How you feel?” Jisung asks, watching him curiously. Chan shrugs, lying down on the ground and staring at the ceiling. 

“I mean, I’ve always loved being in hotels,” he says, looking over. The quokka hybrid laughs and pushes his hair back from his face, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I knew that. Everyone does.” Jisung laughs. “I mean how do you feel about what we’re doing and stuff. Like this tracking business.” He shrugs. “I mean, from what I’ve heard, you actually - you’ve spoken with Seonghwa before. What’s your take on this?” 

Chan hums, pursing his lips as he stares at the ceiling. The others think that he should dye his hair because you blend in by standing out when it comes to the Jungle. If he wants to hide in plain sight then he shouldn’t look like Chief Bang. 

“You still there, Hyung?” Jisung says. Chan jumps a bit and turns to look at him. 

“I mean, he kind of held me hostage at his apartment,” he says. He shrugs. “But we . . . I did talk to him.” He bites his lip, sucking in a breath between his teeth. “He was really lonely.”

“Who’re you talking about?” Minho says as he comes in, toweling his hair off. Jisung makes grabby hands at him and the leopard hybrid joins him on the bed, curling around his boyfriend. 

“Seonghwa,” Jisung tells him, leaning against him. Minho hums. 

“Oh, do tell,” he says. “He seems to be quite interesting.” 

Chan snorts. 

“He didn’t talk to me a lot and mostly just made sure I didn’t fuck with his things,” he says, laughing a bit. “But I’m still worried about him.” 

“Psh. If anyone wasn’t then they’d probably need to take a better look at the fact that he’s being chased down by the government, and, if they catch him, his death is guaranteed. Come on, people, let’s have some sense, eh?” Minho says. Jisung hits him and Chan laughs. 

“If only,” he says. He sighs heavily. “It’s just - I’m kind of scared, to be honest.” 

“What are we talking about?” Felix asks. Chan moves over and sits up on the couch to allow him more space, though it’s not like it really matters because Felix simply plasters himself to his body. 

“Seonghwa,” Chan answers. He pets his hair, looking up at the wall. “I’m just scared about what could happen if we don’t find him and Hongjoong first.” 

“Well,” Felix says, playing with Chan’s shirt, “there isn’t exactly any use in that, is there? I mean, it’s not like we can see or affect what happens in the future by thinking about it, right? We just have to keep moving and hope that what we’re doing is right.” 

“Agreed,” Jisung says. Chan and Felix both look over at him. “Like, just worrying about what  _ could _ happen isn’t gonna do any good, not unless it encourages you to actually get up and go help him or something. I dunno. I just feel like worrying about it isn’t gonna do much good.” 

“Neither of you are wrong,” Chan says. “But we should probably call the others to discuss if we want to be as productive as possible.” 

Minho laughs. 

“I already texted them,” he says, looking at his nails. “They should be here-”

“OPEN THE FUCK UP!” someone (read: Wooyoung because Wooyoung is the only one who’s obnoxious enough to do something like this) yells as they slam their fist against the door. Chan sighs heavily as he gets out of bed and walks to the door, stepping aside for the six hybrids outside to clamor into the room. 

“Have you ever considered  _ not _ causing a ruckus and disrupting everyone around you when introducing yourself?” Chan says tiredly. Wooyoung cackles and waves over his shoulder, jumping onto Changbin’s back. San sulks away, glancing woefully at his boyfriend as he sits on the couch. 

“Okay, now that everyone’s here, I think we should start making our plan,” Chan says, sitting down on the bed. “Does anyone have any ideas?” 

“Let’s just walk around and see what happens. Maybe we’ll pick something up, maybe we won’t. Whatever the case is, though, I think we should split up,” Hyunjin says. “We can cover more ground that way.” 

“What about communicating?” Jeongin asks. “Earpieces or phones? Phones, right? ‘Cause they’re not as suspicious?” 

“Yeah,” Chan says, nodding. “Phones. Earpieces should only be used if you absolutely need it. It’s best to just use phones, though.” 

Everyone nods. 

“So, should we basically just act like normal hybrids in a hybrid city who are doing some sightseeing or something like that?” Seungmin asks, glancing over at Changbin and Wooyoung. The two canines appear to be totally oblivious to the jealousy their boyfriends share, continuing to cuddle. 

“Yeah, that works,” Chan says, nodding. He gets up, looking around. “You guys ready to go?” 

“I’m gonna go with Channie-Hyung!” Felix chirps, grabbing Chan’s arm. 

“Innie~” Hyunjin sing-songs. The fox hybrid giggles as they hold hands. Minho and Jisung aren’t even a question, though San, Wooyoung, Changbin, and Seungmin all look like they’re going to struggle. 

“Well,  _ I’m _ going to go with  _ Seungmin, _ ” San says suddenly. Wooyoung and Changbin both gasp, looking up at their boyfriends. 

“No, you are  _ not, _ ” Wooyoung says, betrayed. Chan facepalms. 

“Um, you’re not in charge of me,” San says, crossing his arms and continuing to hold Seungmin’s hand. Changbin is just staring at them with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. 

“Minnie?” he says. 

“Hmmph,” comes Seungmin’s response. He tugs San’s hand. “Come on, Hyung, let’s go.” 

“You fucker!” Wooyoung cries, chasing after them, Changbin in tow. Chan and everyone else in the room sigh heavily before they head out after them.

It’s nice to walk around the city, though Chan can definitely say that it’s quite a culture shock to see so many hybrids walking around without worrying about being arrested simply for existing. 

_ Or, well, mostly, _ Chan thinks as he looks around. While the Jungle is practically a hybrid safe space, there’s still the risk of being arrested. Hybrids get cocky if they aren’t kept on their toes.

“What’s our front?” Felix asks him quietly as they walk. 

“We’re looking for a friend. Wooyoung said that that’s the best way to get directions. And, well, it’s not exactly a lie, is it?” Chan says. Felix hums, squeezing his hand as they continue to walk. 

“Excuse me?” the cat hybrid says, gently tugging on the sleeve of someone. They turn around, tilting their head curiously. 

“Yeah?” they ask gruffly. “What is it?”

“Would you happen to know where I should be looking for some information? We’re looking for someone,” he says. The other hybrid seems to relax a bit as they shrug their shoulders, running a hand through their neon-colored hair. 

“Oh,” they say. They glance at Chan and the wolf hybrid crosses his arms, standing firmly behind Felix. The cat hybrid tilts his head curiously, smiling gently. 

“What was that?” Felix asks. The other hybrid gulps. 

“Uh, you should - you should probably look at the casinos. Those are the spots to go if you’re lookin’ for anything,” they blurt. And then the hybrid disappears into the crowd, and Felix turns around to look at him, frowning curiously. 

“I wonder what that was all about,” he says. He sighs, shaking his head and shrugging. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to ask someone else.” 

“Sorry,” another hybrid tells them. “There are so many casinos here-”

“What about one owned by - do you know any owned by Seonghwa Park? I’ve heard that he owns a few. Could be a rumor, but just - do you know anything about that?” Chan says before he can think better of it. The hybrid looks taken aback and they quickly shake their head, running off.

“Looks like someone’s taboo around here,” Felix mumbles. He and Chan keep walking, and the wolf hybrid lowers his ears against his head, embarrassed. 

“Sorry,” he says. Felix shrugs, turning to smile warmly at him. While it’s not terribly cold outside, his nose and ears are still tinted red, and Chan just wants to wrap him in coats and scarves and winter clothes to keep him warm forever. 

“It’s okay,” he says cutely. “Maybe the others found something!” 

“We found something,” Hyunjin says first-thing once they’ve all regrouped in the hotel room. He and Jeongin have somber expressions that are unlikely to promise anything good, and Chan’s heart thunders as he sits down. 

“Okay,” he says, “what is it?” 

“Well, we have good news and bad news,” Jeongin says, drumming his nails on the table. “Which do you wanna hear-”

“Bad,” Wooyoung says, leaning forward. 

Hyunjin winces a bit. 

“Well, you kinda need the good news for that,” he says. 

“Okay, then good news first,” Changbin says. “Easy.” 

Hyunjin scowls at him. 

“Well, anyway,” he says, “we found out that Seonghwa owns a bunch of casinos and hotels.” 

Felix looks at Chan and nods. 

“How?” Chan asks. “We asked someone and then they just ran away.”

“I’m cute and I can be very convincing,” Jeongin says seriously. Hyunjin coos and kisses his cheeks, turning to the rest of them. 

“True story. I know from experience,” he says. “Anyway, the bad news is that he owns a bunch and no one knows which of them are under his name because they were all purchased anonymously.” 

“So how does anyone know he owns any at all?” Seungmin says, frowning and tilting his head. 

“He came on his own to sign the contracts and, like, two people saw him. He knew who saw him, though, so he ended up threatening them into keeping quiet,” Hyunjin explains casually. He checks his nails, then looks up with a grin. “I hope you’re good at gambling, ‘cause that’s the easiest way to earn information around here.” 

San and Changbin are both scarily good at gambling. Felix picks it up too, though the rest of them decide against trying their own hands at it. Chan is happy to see how much the three of them enjoy the activity, though he’s happy to stay on the sidelines to cheer them on. 

“You’re good, Snake-Eyes,” the pretty leopard hybrid says as San pulls more poker chips in his direction. Wooyoung’s jealous pout is clear as day as he curls up beside his boyfriend, arching a dangerous eyebrow. Something else they’ve all agreed on is getting makeovers and new clothes, and, for San, that had meant several crop-tops. His abs aren’t a joke and they’re rather eye-catching, something that Wooyoung clearly does not enjoy. Chan thinks it’s funny how possessive he and his boyfriend are. 

“You look cute today,” Felix says, leaning against the wolf hybrid. Chan smiles down at him and kisses his head. 

“Well, you always look cute,” he says. Felix giggles and kisses him, combing his fingers through his hair. 

“Why thank you,” he says. Chan laughs. 

“You enjoying yourself?” he asks. Felix shrugs, sighing as San continues to win at poker. 

“Mmm. It’s nice,” he says. “But I wanted to let you know that we’ve got the name of his biggest purchase.” 

Chan hums, continuing to act as if the information Felix has just hinted at isn’t what he’s been looking for this entire time. He nods and watches as San finally finishes the game, grinning as he collects his winnings. Wooyoung’s tail curls around his waist as he holds tightly to his arm, glaring at anyone who looks for longer than a glance. 

“Ready to go?” Chan asks. San and Wooyoung nod as the others get up. 

“God fucking dammit, Jisung, you stupid lightweight,” Minho grumbles as he lifts his boyfriend onto his back. Seungmin laughs at him as he and Changbin walk out, waving over his shoulder.

They get back to the hotel and then decide if they should talk about the casino now or later, once Jisung’s sobered up. 

“Later,” Minho says firmly. “I am  _ not _ going to tell this idiot the plan more than once. Everyone, go to bed right now. We’ll see each other in the morning.” 

“Sounds good!” Hyunjin sing-songs, no doubt a little tipsy. Jeongin’s face is bright red though he seems to be in control of himself, but he’s definitely had something to drink. Changbin and Seungmin are both good with alcohol, though in different ways - Changbin has a good tolerance and Seungmin always knows what’s too much. Jisung wasn’t so lucky. 

“Good night,” Minho says to Chan and Felix before he drags Jisung over to his bathroom. Chan shakes his head at them as he watches them leave, sighing to himself. 

“I’ll tell you in the morning,” Felix says before Chan can even open his mouth. The cat hybrid waves his hand tiredly and yawns as he goes to shower, grabbing some underpants and an oversized shirt before he gets into the bathroom. Chan laughs and shakes his head as he sits down, running a hand through his hair. 

Felix comes out not long after going into the bathroom. His hair is wet and his skin is slightly flushed, though Chan still wants to cuddle him to bits. 

“Shower and  _ then _ cuddles and kisses,” Felix says, waving his hand. Chan sighs loudly to make his annoyance known, and then he turns and trudges into the bathroom. He showers and gets ready for bed, then he returns to the bedroom. 

“Hi,” he says, smiling lovingly at Felix. His boyfriend looks up and grins, his long tail curled up beside him. His ears twitch as he sits up and beckons Chan over, grinning. 

“Hello, you,” Felix says. Chan climbs onto the bed. “You smell nice.” 

“I just showered; it’s expected.” 

Felix shrugs and cuddles closer to him, sighing and purring loudly. 

“Mm. Still.” 

Chan snorts and shakes his head, sighing as he turns off the lights and slides into bed. Felix moves to put his BluScreen on the charger, then he rolls over to face Chan, smiling softly into the darkness. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Chan whispers. Felix giggles, kissing him softly. 

“So are you,” he says. He smiles against his lips. “I’m so lucky.” 

“Psh,  _ I’m _ the lucky one,” Chan says. He reaches up to trail his fingers down the side of Felix’s face. “Did you know your name means ‘luck’ in Latin? I literally have luck. How can I  _ not _ be lucky?” 

“Let’s just say we’re both lucky,” Felix teases. Chan hums and ducks down to kiss his neck, grazing his teeth over the unblemished skin. Felix squeals a little bit when he bites down too hard and Chan offers him a not-so-apologetic smile before continuing downward. 

“I’m too tired to do anything,” Felix whines. Chan hums and looks up, kissing his stomach. 

“Who said  _ you’d _ be doing anything?” he asks. “I was planning on doing you.” 

Felix squeals yet again and covers his face with his hands. 

“Minho-Hyung and Jisung are going to hear,” he says, letting Chan’s lips pepper kisses at the waistband of his briefs. Chan shrugs. 

“It’s not like we haven’t heard them,” he says. Felix kicks him and Chan laughs, pulling away before he climbs back up so they’re eye-to-eye. 

“It’s late,” Felix says. He kisses the corner of Chan’s mouth. “I don’t want you to be too tired tomorrow morning anyway.” 

Chan hums, kissing him softly. 

“Okay,” he says. “I’ll go to sleep.” Felix hums back and combs his fingers through Chan’s hair, leaning their foreheads together. 

“Thank you,” he whispers. Chan pulls him closer and rests his chin on top of Felix’s head, not saying anything. 

“I love you.” 

Felix presses a giggle against his chest, and Chan can feel his breath against his skin. Probably because he’s shirtless. 

“I love you too,” Felix tells him. His lips brush against Chan’s chin. “Even though you’re a huge dork.” 

Chan chuckles, pressing his nose into Felix’s hair. 

“Sure, sure,” he says. “I’ll fight you on it in the morning.” 

Felix yawns. 

“Yeah,” he says sleepily. “In the morning.” 

“Good night, Lixie.” 

Another yawn. 

“Good night, Channie-Hyung.” 

The next morning, Chan pulls out an information pill that they all crack together. 

“Uh, does anyone speak French?” Seungmin asks, staring at the small slip. “I think the name is in French.” 

" _ La Nébuleuse du Sud _ ,” Felix says. He hums, pouting cutely as he thinks. “Uh, I’m pretty sure that means something like ‘The Nebula of the . . . of the South’, I think. I’m, like, 99% sure that’s what it means, though I won’t guarantee it.” 

“You said 99%,” Jisung says. “Why not give us that 1%?” 

“Because it could be false information  and I’m not stupid enough to do that since I know you guys are gonna be mean if it’s wrong,” Felix says, crossing his arms. Jisung laughs and shrugs. 

“True, very true,” he says, nodding. 

“Why don’t we focus on the matter at hand rather than, like, teasing one another?” Seungmin says. 

“Seungmin’s right,” Chan says. “We need to make a plan.” 

“You think we could wing it or something?” Changbin asks. “Like, you know, just walk in there, gamble for the info, get out? Something like that?” 

“I second that, but only because I see no other option,” Minho says. “I don’t know if there’s anything else we can do.” 

“I mean,  _ I’m _ on board with it,” Jisung says. 

“I don’t see anything wrong with that plan, though we should just keep our guards up,” Chan says, nodding. He stands up straight and claps his hands together. “And, if no one has any - uh, I don’t remember the word for it, but-”

“Problems?” Hyunjin offers. 

“Similar, but I can’t remember, so, uh, yeah, problems will work for now, but yeah, if no one has any protests or anything, then should we get going?” 

Everyone nods, and then they head out to the casino. 

_ La Nébuleuse du Sud _ is a large, beautiful building. Its name is written in a glowing, swirling script, and Chan parks the car in front of it, getting out. 

“Here we are,” he says. Felix squeezes his hand. 

“Shall we?” he asks. Chan snorts and shakes his head, squeezing his hand back. 

“We shall.” 

They start simple. A few games here and there, nothing too big. Chan swirls his drink around as he watches his friends and boyfriend play, keeping an eye on the hybrids (and a few people) coming in and out of the casino. So far so good, or so he thinks. The gun he has is an extra precaution, but Chan’s never been on to take risks. He knows that Felix, Changbin, and San are all armed as well (just like the rest of them), whether it be if they upset the wrong people or if the casino is attacked. Either way, Chan would like to avoid both situations. 

The games get bigger and, soon enough, Chan stands with the rest of his pack as Felix barters for information. Despite his appearance and what most people would probably assume about him, Felix is firm with what he wants, and he refuses to back down as they continue betting. 

“Goddammit,” says one of the hybrids at the table. Felix grins as he takes the chips, pulling them towards his growing pile. He’s working to beat the manager (Chan isn’t quite sure what she calls her position), and he’s been doing pretty damn well. 

Chan should’ve known. 

“What’s she doing?” Minho whispers, maybe to himself, maybe to Chan. The wolf hybrid’s eyes are drawn to Felix’s opponent, whose hand is under the table. It looks like she’s messing with some sort of control panel, and Chan’s heart speeds up. The sound of the other hybrids in the casino is far too loud for him to make out the click of a button or switch, though he doubts that there’s anything good in store for them. 

Fifteen minutes later, just as Chan predicted, the door is broken down and White Guards swarm the casino. 

Shit. 

~

Seonghwa is planning something. The only problem is that Hongjoong doesn’t know what, but, if Seonghwa still hasn’t told him, then he doubts it’s anything he’ll be very pleased with. He turns to face his boyfriend and gently traces his finger over the lines of his face, noting how Seonghwa, even when he’s fast asleep, still looks tense. His jaw is stiff and his brow is furrowed, and, for all Hongjoong knows, it could be because of a nightmare. He can remember that Seonghwa used to look peaceful in his sleep, back when they were still in the city, but it looks like the stress of their situation is weighing on him. Hongjoong doesn’t blame him because it’s perfectly reasonable, though that doesn’t mean he isn’t worried about his boyfriend.

“Seonghwa,” Hongjoong whispers, nudging him. “Seonghwa, we have to get moving.” 

One by one, the dragon hybrid’s eyes open. They stare back at Hongjoong and there’s an unmistakable sort of longing swimming in the pools of gold, dark and sad and pleading. 

“I’m sorry,” Seonghwa whispers in Korean. His voice is even deeper than when he speaks English, though it’s not what Hongjoong’s focused on. He cups Seonghwa’s face and leans their foreheads together, releasing a shuddering breath. 

“Why are you sorry?” he asks, wondering if he truly wants to know the answer. Seonghwa kisses him. 

“I’m just - I just hate that I dragged you into this mess because I was - because I was so selfish to bring you with me. I should’ve let you stay home. I didn’t-”

“I  _ chose _ to come,” Hongjoong says, squeezing Seonghwa’s hands. “I - you didn’t do anything wrong, Seonghwa. You didn’t make me do anything.” 

Seonghwa doesn’t answer, just stares at him with that sad, sad look in his eyes that makes Hongjoong’s heart twist uncomfortably in his chest. He thinks back to when he woke up in the Capitol Building, remembering the fear in Seonghwa’s eyes. 

_ Run. _

“I love you,” Hongjoong says. He kisses Seonghwa quickly, praying that it conveys his message.  _ Staystaystay, love me, love me, love me, stay, be with me, love me, love me. _

Seonghwa smiles at him again. 

“I love you too,” he says, kissing Hongjoong’s forehead. “I love you so much, Hongjoong.” 

Hongjoong hums and holds him tighter, chewing on his lower lip. He’s scared, and not just about the future - Hongjoong thinks that he’d just . . . well, he doesn’t quite know what exactly would happen, though he knows he’d be absolutely  _ devastated _ if Seonghwa left him. He doubts that it would affect him physically, though he hasn’t a clue what would happen to his mental state. 

“We should get up. We don’t have the most time,” Seonghwa says to him, his voice soft. Hongjoong hums and stands, helping Seonghwa to his feet. 

“You know that we’re in this together, right?” he says as the dragon hybrid dusts himself off. “You know that - that we’re a team and that we’ll get through this together?”

Seonghwa smiles warmly at him, his eyes crinkling in the corners. 

“Of course, I do, Hongjoong,” he says. His voice doesn’t carry any hints of falsities or sadness, though Seonghwa’s eyes are still filled to the brim with pure  _ longing _ . Even as he picks Hongjoong up and gets ready to fly, Hongjoong can’t help but notice it. 

They fly for a few hours, the silvery light of the moonlight showing them the way. Hongjoong, however, is quick to notice the way his boyfriend seems to be tiring unusually quickly. 

“Seonghwa,” Hongjoong says, tugging on the other hybrid’s sweatshirt strings. “Seonghwa, let’s take a break. You’re - come on, I feel sick.”

What worries Hongjoong even more is that Seonghwa doesn’t even protest before he heads to the ground, landing and stumbling about, Hongjoong still in his arms. 

“Come on, let’s sit down,” Hongjoong says. He smiles gently at Seonghwa and kisses his cheek. “It’s okay, Seonghwa. What’s up?” 

Seonghwa looks up at him, his eyes glassy. 

“Cold,” he mumbles. He lifts his hands and shows Hongjoong how they shake. “It’s cold.” 

_ Fuck. _

“Hey, it’s okay,” Hongjoong says. He takes Seonghwa’s hands into his own and curses how small his palms and fingers are, pressing Seonghwa’s skin to his face. “Warm, right? You think you can start a fire?” 

Seonghwa shrugs. Hongjoong moves out of the way and grabs some twigs, arranging them in a little triangle. Seonghwa crouches in front of it, eying the sticks, and then he opens his mouth and releases a small breath. An equally small flame comes out from between his lips, latching onto the twigs. Seonghwa sighs shakily and curls up around the fire, closing his eyes and continuing to shiver. 

“Thank you,” he says quietly. Hongjoong comes to sit behind him, running his hand over his back. 

“It’s nothing,” he says. Seonghwa stays silent, his eyes lidded as the shadows from the fire dance over his face. Hongjoong begins tracing his horns with his free hand. 

“I’m just - I wish I could do more,” Seonghwa says. Hongjoong wiggles beneath his wing, kissing his cheek.

“You don’t need to,” he says. “You’re already doing enough. Just stay awake, okay? We need to keep moving.” 

Seonghwa nods, closing his eyes. Hongjoong reaches up and begins to run his fingers through Seonghwa’s hair, noting the tangles in the thick black locks. 

They sit there for an hour or so, though Hongjoong can’t be sure. He’s never had the greatest concept of time, though he knows that they sit by the fire for a pretty long time. Eventually, though, Seonghwa stands up and they begin to walk through the forest, huddled together to maybe combat the cold.

By the time daylight begins to tickle the forest, Hongjoong is exhausted. Seonghwa is even worse than he is, though, and Hongjoong knows they need food. The first aid kit in his sweatshirt pocket feels heavier than usual but Hongjoong dismisses the thought as he makes a little campsite for them, noting the shaking of his hands. 

“Seonghwa?” he whispers, nudging the dragon hybrid gently. His eyes are closed and Hongjoong’s moved him as close to the fire as possible, though he’s not going to risk putting him in it. They’re struggling enough as it is. 

The dragon hybrid doesn’t wake up, though Hongjoong can feel his breath against his fingers when he rests them under his boyfriend’s nose. 

_ Okay, _ he thinks, getting to his feet.  _ That’s good. Hopefully, he’ll be asleep by the time I get back. _

Hongjoong sighs and looks around. He’s certain that there’s some sort of rest stop nearby, and he’s banking on it to get food and water for himself and Seonghwa. 

“Just go, Hongjoong,” the cat hybrid tells himself. He begins walking towards where he thinks the stop will be, his heart thundering. He digs his nails into the skin of his palms as he speeds up, jogging a little. 

Somehow, Hongjoong finds a pharmacy-rest stop. He wants to cry when he does. He tries to steady his breathing before he walks up to the door and heads in, ducking his head down. He wanders through the store, grabbing food and water and shoving it up his shirt. He stops when he finds a TV, looking at it curiously. 

_ ‘Search for missing designer still ongoing,’ _ reads the screen. A picture of Seongwa and Hongjoong entering the Capitol Building appears above. It changes to a picture of just Seonghwa, then to one of Hongjoong. The cat hybrid ducks his head down and bites back a curse as he heads deeper into the aisles, trying to steady his breathing. 

_ I need an inhaler, _ he thinks.  _ I need to get an inhaler.  _

Hongjoong nods to himself. If he’s lucky, he can probably snag one from over the counter, though Hongjoong doesn’t know if he’ll be able to make it out in time. 

_ Fuck it, _ he thinks, eying the empty counter. Hongjoong races over and leaps over, rushing in and grabbing an inhaler. He can hear someone following him as he runs outside, fear filling every fiber of his being as he goes. He can hear his breathing and his feet as they crush twigs and dying grass beneath them, his chest heaving. Hongjoong runs like he’s never run before, sprinting through the forest. 

_ Please, please, please, _ he thinks as he runs.  _ Please, I can make it. _

“HONGJOONG!” Seonghwa roars suddenly as the cay hybrid collides with his chest. Hongjoong shrieks, holding his hands in front of him. Seonghwa catches him and holds him by his forearms, pulling away. “How could you do that?! What if something happened? What if you’d gotten hurt?! What if you’d been seen?” He’s livid, furious with Hongjoong for having run off. “Hongjoong, what if you’d  _ died?! _ I couldn’t - I can’t protect you when you’re away from-”

Hongjoong gasps, clawing at his chest. He can’t breathe, he can’t breathe, he can’t-

“Hongjoong, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa says, his voice switching to something much softer as he cups Hongjoong’s face. He finds the inhaler in Hongjoong’s pocket and pulls it out, pressing it to his lips. Hongjoong gasps for air, his chest heaving as he holds tightly to Seonghwa. 

“Oh my God,  _ Hongjoong, _ ” Seonghwa says, pressing him close. Hongjoong hugs him back. “I was so worried, I thought you’d - I thought something terrible had happened to you, oh my  _ God.” _

“I’m sorry,” Hongjoong whispers. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-”

“No, no, no,” Seonghwa says, pulling away. He runs his fingers through Hongjoong’s hair, smiling gently at him. “Thank you so much. That must’ve been scary, hm?” 

Hongjoong nods, pressing his face into Seonghwa’s chest with a shuddering sigh. Seonghwa continues to comb his fingers through Hongjoong’s hair, gently guiding him to sit down by the fire. They lie down together, not doing nor saying anything. 

And then, somehow, Hongjoong falls asleep. 

Seonghwa is shivering above him when he wakes up. Hongjoong wiggles out from under Seonghwa and then shakes the dragon hybrid, his stomach churning uncomfortably. 

“Seonghwa, wake up!” Hongjoong whisper-shouts. “Come on, you can’t stay here; we need to go somewhere warm.” 

Seonghwa grunts, slowly cracking an eye open to look at Hongjoong. 

“Please, Seonghwa,” the cat hybrid pleads, shaking him again. “We have to  _ move _ .” 

Seonghwa hums, though he gets up. He moves slowly, stretching before looking around. 

“It’s snowing,” he notes softly. Hongjoong hums and grabs his hand, beginning to walk. He doesn’t want to risk flying in this weather, even if it is faster. He’d still rather not crash and die. 

It isn’t long before Hongjoong begins to notice how Seonghwa’s pace has begun to slow. He drags his feet when he walks, his movements languid. Hongjoong curses under his breath and tries to move faster. They definitely need shelter because Hongjoong doesn’t know how long Seonghwa’s going to survive out here in the snow. He just hopes that they can find somewhere to stay soon.

“Seonghwa, we have to keep moving,” Hongjoong says, praying Seonghwa will get the message that he’d better bust his ass to find some shelter. “You can’t sleep out here.” 

Seonghwa grunts once, and it’s the only warning he gives before he collapses against Hongjoong’s back. The cat hybrid yelps and jumps away from his boyfriend, looking down at his unconscious body with wide, terrified eyes. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” he says. He can already feel the stupid fucking tears. “Seonghwa, get up! Please get up!” 

Seonghwa continues to lie face-down in the snow, and Hongjoong gets down on his knees. He pulls him into his lap and shakes him, pressing the back of his hand against Seonghwa’s forehead. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” he says yet again. “Why here? Why couldn’t it have been closer to some sort of shelter or something?” 

Hongjoong wipes his eyes and pulls Seonghwa up, letting the dragon hybrid’s head rest on his shoulder. He has to maneuver him so he isn’t stabbed by his boyfriend’s horns, though Hongjoong isn’t sure if he has the mental capacity to care right now. Seonghwa’s skin is turning paler with each second that passes, the snow melting when it lands on him. Hongjoong sniffles and wipes his nose as more tears pour from his eyes, trying to get himself to get up to do something about the hybrid in his arms.

“Come on, Hongjoong,” he whispers hoarsely to himself. “Come on, you can do it. You just have to get up.” 

Hongjoong sniffles and nods, though he continues to sit on the ground with Seonghwa held in his arms. The sight of his unconscious boyfriend is making him want to vomit, though he doubts that it’d be anything more than stomach acid and saliva due to how little he’s been eating. 

“Get up, Hongjoong,” he says firmly. Hongjoong grits his teeth. “Come on, you have to help Seonghwa. You can’t stay here.” 

Hongjoong nods, then, and slowly gets to his feet. He lifts Seonghwa up and drapes him over his back, grunting with effort. He just has to keep moving. 

The cat hybrid begins to trek through the forest, carrying his large, heavy boyfriend on his back. At least Hongjoong can hear him breathing, though he doubts that he’s okay. He just has to get them somewhere to stay. 

_ Or I’ll have to make it, _ a more pessimistic side of Hongjoong thinks. The cat hybrid stops to lick his lips before he shakes his head, his arms shaking as he drags Seonghwa forward.

“Fuckin’ hell, you’re  _ heavy, _ ” he grumbles. It hurts that Seonghwa doesn’t answer.

“We can do it, Hwa. We can do it,” Hongjoong says to himself. He keeps walking, though each step is slow and he doubts that he’s made much progress (if any in the first place) in their journey to one of Seonghwa’s hotels. Hongjoong doesn’t really care right now; all he wants to do is get Seonghwa and himself to shelter. 

He doesn’t know how long he walks for. What he does know, however, is that he feels like he’s about to pass out. His knees quiver with every step he takes and his chest heaves as he prays that he won’t have an asthma attack, though, with the way his life’s been going and looking at his lack of luck, Hongjoong can’t say he’d be terribly surprised.

And then, somehow, Hongjoong notices a building. It’s small, and, at first, Hongjoong doesn’t believe his eyes. He shakes his head and blinks rapidly, telling himself that he can’t stop for little illusions. 

However, as Hongjoong gets closer, the cabin gets bigger, and, soon enough, he realizes that it’s not so fake. 

“Oh my God!” he cries. He begins walking faster, praying that the door is unlocked. “Holy shit, holy shit.” 

_ Please, _ he thinks,  _ whoever’s in there, just let us stay for a night or two. Please, we really need it.  _

Hongjoong adjusts Seonghwa a bit before he reaches for the doorknob, shutting his eyes and tilting his head away. He wraps his fingers around it and then, very slowly, he twists the doorknob. 

It opens the cabin. 

~

“You guys are going on your next mission,” Hoseok says as he walks over, handing Soobin a tablet. The panther hybrid opens it up and frowns, skimming over the little blurb of information. The others all lean over to look at the tablet, and Soobin drums his nails on the table with his free hand as he reads. 

“But I thought you guys had already been to his office?” Hueningkai says. They all turn around to look at Hoseok. The golden retriever hybrid shrugs.

“Yeah, but we had our visit cut short when people started coming in. As far as we know, it has yet to be cleaned up, so we want you guys to go in and check for anything he could’ve left. I think you’ll be safe from any surprises or anything,” he says, shrugging. 

“Okay,” Soobin says. He rests his chin on his palm as he continues to scroll through the information, this time looking at the pictures. “Anything on Seonghwa?” 

Hoseok purses his lips. 

“Not yet,” he says. “We - the kid in that paper died before we’d begun keeping track of hybrid citizens, and it doesn’t help that he’s from a village.”

“What about his adoptive parents, the Lees?” Yeosang asks. “Have you found them?” 

Hoseok shakes his head. 

“‘Lee’ isn’t exactly an uncommon name in Korea,” he says. “We’re trying, though I doubt they’d be able to help us. Try to find some sort of passport or something; there might be something we can use in it.” 

Soobin nods and gets up, turning the tablet off. 

“So,” he says, looking around, “are you guys ready to get going?” 

The drive to the VIPER building isn’t terribly long, but it’s not short either. Soobin sits in the back and bounces his knee, lower lip stuck between his teeth as he waits.

“You seem nervous,” Yeonjun comments. Soobin looks over at him and shrugs.

“Kinda,” he says. “I mean, who knows what we might find? And then there’s always the risk of this going terribly wrong, and I don’t enjoy thinking about it, though I do anyway because I can’t help myself, so, well . . .” he trails off and shrugs, drawing a laugh from the fox hybrid sitting next to him.

“You’re so cute,” he says, reaching over to pinch Soobin’s cheek. Soobin bats his hand away with a playfully annoyed huff, though it isn’t long before he’s leaning his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. 

“I never thought I’d be going to work to do this,” Yeosang mumbles as the van pulls to a stop. They all get out of the car and grab their ‘cleaning supplies’ before heading inside, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Hopefully, they succeed, and that seems to be the case because no one says a word to them as they walk into the building. Yeosang swipes his keycard (Soobin wonders how on earth it’s still valid) and then they head inside, through the lobby, and toward the glass elevators. 

“It’s beautiful in here,” Jongho says quietly. 

“Mr. Park is a designer, you think he’d settle for some half-baked shit?” Mingi jokes. Jongho rolls his eyes and goes to Yeosang, sticking his tongue out at the other canine hybrid. Mingi fakes offense and clings to Yunho, pouting.

“Stop acting like preschoolers and let’s get inside,” Yeosang says. He presses the ‘up’ button for the elevator and, just a second later, the doors slide open. The nine of them all squish inside together, trying to fit the supplies they brought as well. 

“This was a bad idea, wasn’t it?” Yunho says, pressed into the lefthand corner of the elevator. 

“No, I think it was a wonderful idea,” Yeosang says. “What are you talking about, dumbass? Of course, it was a terrible idea!” 

Yunho smiles cutely at him and shrugs, waving from his corner. Mingi coos and kisses him, leaving the rest of them to hope they can keep down on the PDA for the rest of the elevator ride.

Thankfully, they manage to get up to the top floor of the building without anything too gross happening inside of the elevator. Yeonjun, dramatic as ever, gasps and throws himself onto the ground when he gets out of the elevator, lying there and only succeeding in embarrassing himself and everyone around him.

Well, except for Hueningkai, who leaps on top of the fox hybrid and cackles loudly when Yeonjun tries valiantly to get back on his feet. 

“Let me go, dumbass!” Yeonjun shrieks, hitting his leg. He rolls over and sits up, pushing the snake hybrid off of himself before scrambling over to Soobin. Soobin absent-mindedly pats his hand, too focused on the destruction before him.

“What the hell . . .” Taehyun breathes. Soobin thinks that summarizes his thoughts up pretty well; he doesn’t know how else to explain what he’s feeling. 

The uppermost floor of the VIPER building has been completely torn apart. Desks are overturned, chairs have been broken, personal possessions have been trashed - nothing was spared by the White Guards who must’ve passed through. Soobin’s chest twists as he looks around, wincing when he hears glass break. Looking down, Soobin finds a framed photo, and he crouches down to pick it up. 

It’s Mingi and Yunho, funnily enough. The two are laughing, arms around each other, and Soobin bites his lip. 

“Hyungs?” he says, turning around. “Mingi-Hyung? Yunho-”

“Oh my  _ God, _ ” Mingi whispers, bringing his hand to his mouth. Yunho rests a hand on his shoulder as the dog hybrid crouches by his (presumed) desk and looks through his things, trying to piece them back together. 

“What is it?” Yeosang asks quietly. Soobin turns to him and offers the broken picture. The cheetah hybrid looks down at it and nods grimly, then he turns and walks over to Mingi. 

“I guess we’ll just . . . you guys can do what you have to do. We’ll start looking for evidence,” Soobin says. Yunho turns and smiles gratefully at him, nodding. Soobin waves before he begins to search. 

“You think we should check the office first?” Beomgyu asks him. Soobin shrugs. 

“I think we should do it together,” he says, nudging one of the desks with his shoe. “We should give them some time to just . . . collect their things. It’s probably really hard to see all of your stuff destroyed.”

“They’re going to have to be more careful too,” Taehyun chimes in. “We should tell Hyungs that those three - maybe four if Jongho-Hyung’s in any of the pictures - are probably in some big database as suspects or something. Do you know if they cleared their apartments out?” 

Soobin shrugs, crouching to look at a laptop. The screen is cracked but, after Soobin presses the ‘power on’ button, it lights up.

“You know how to hack a computer?” he asks Taehyun. The wolf hybrid doesn’t say anything as he takes the laptop and sits down, hunching over and pressing the ‘enter’ key several times.

“Is it really that simple?” Yeonjun asks, coming to sit down with them. Taehyun shrugs. 

“We’re probably going to have to wipe it or something because they might come back to pick up the technology, but, in essence, yeah,” he says. He frowns and looks up, shrugging again. “Well, I suppose that it makes it so you can’t log back in, but that’s not too much of a problem. We won’t be needing it again.” 

“What are you hoping to do with it?” Soobin says. 

“Maybe having some computer and using an account from his company will make it easier to get into his - excuse me, to get his information,” Taehyun says. He frowns again. “But, uh, we tried with Yeosang-Hyung’s, so . . . I kinda doubt that it’ll be terribly helpful.”

“What about with getting into  _ his _ computer?” 

“If the Guards didn’t take it, then it’ll hopefully have more than just what I’d call ‘surface-level’ information.” 

“What would you deem ‘surface-level’?” Hueningkai asks from behind them. Taehyun shrugs. 

“Like, passwords to little accounts that don’t matter and stuff. He probably has something like a fake phone number too. If we could get to his private email address, though, I think that would be useful.” 

“Mr. Park had a tablet that he always kept with him. Somehow, though you couldn’t always see it. S’probably what you want,” someone says from behind them. They all look up to see Mingi standing behind them, holding his things and staring blankly at something ahead. “He never let me - or anyone else, for that matter - near the thing. He was super . . . really possessive.”

“Do you know where this tablet is?” Taehyun asks him. 

Mingi shrugs, adjusting his hold on his things. 

“He probably planned to take it with him. And none of us know where his and Hongjoong-Hyung’s luggage is, so it’s not much of an option. Whatever the case is, though, I doubt that he has anything else like that. He seems like he was probably aware of how dangerous it was to have that tablet. I mean, if it’s what I think it is.” 

Taehyun hums and nods, turning back to the computer. 

“You guys wanna go explore the office now?” Yunho asks, nudging someone with his foot. The someone in question (Beomgyu) grunts and looks up at him as the rest of them get to their feet. 

“Sounds good to me,” Yeosang says, nodding. Soobin turns around and faces the strangely imposing doors that lead to Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s shared office, swallowing down his fear. He leads the way and opens the door, not missing the way Yeosang glances at the desk nearby. He can see a few framed pictures of the cheetah hybrid as well as Yunho, Mingi, Hongjoong, and (presumably) Yeosang’s parents. Jongho is there too, but there aren’t any of Wooyoung or San. 

_ Well, they weren’t exactly talking before, _ Soobin thinks as he opens the door. 

The first thing that hits him is the heavy scent of expensive red wine. Soobin covers his nose and looks around, squinting for no clear reason. 

“Oh, God, what the hell is that? Where’s it coming from?” Beomgyu cries, waving his hand around. 

“Mr. Park’s wine cabinet, presumably,” Yeosang explains. He gags and looks around before his eyes land on a pile of broken bottles. “Look over there.” 

They all turn to see the remains of Seonghwa’s wines, finding the expensive bottles to have been ravaged by the Guards. It also looks like he had a collection of crystal glasses, all of which have the same fate as the bottles. Of course, this is far from the only example of destruction in Seonghwa’s office. 

The upholstery has been messed with, the cushions scattered around the office. A few of them have been tainted by the wine, dark red seeping into the pretty fabric. Soobin steps forward and Hueningkai leaps toward one of the cushions, opening it with a knife. 

“What are you doing?” Yeonjun asks him. The snake hybrid doesn’t answer as he searches through the fluff inside of the cushion, chewing on his lower lip. 

“He probably kept stuff in his cushions. It’s not somewhere people would probably look and the Guards clearly didn’t search them either; ‘sides, what’s the harm in checking?” Hueningkai says. 

“Mr. Park will skin you alive for messing with his stuff?” Yunho offers. Hueningkai shrugs. 

“He’s a fellow reptile, he wouldn’t do that to me,” he says, waving his hand. “Just check the cushions, I’m sure he won’t mind if we explain that it’s to save his life.” 

Soobin sighs and shakes his head, but he finds himself getting down and pulling one of the cushions into his lap anyway. He uses his claws to open it, shoving his hand into the stuffing and feeling around.

They sit in silence for a while, no one saying anything as they all look through Seonghwa’s things. 

“There’s something in here!” Yeonjun cries suddenly. All of them scramble over to him and lean over his shoulders as he pulls a little blue booklet out. 

“Holy shit,” Taehyun says. 

“It’s a passport!” Beomgyu yells. Yeonjun grins as he opens it up, flattening it out to get a better look. 

“He’s hardly changed at all,” Soobin notes as they stare at the little, unsmiling picture of a sixteen-year-old Seonghwa. He looks like there are countless places he’d rather be.

“I can’t believe that this was taken . . . what, six years ago? He came here-”

“Almost seven years. He hasn’t even been in America for a decade,” Jongho says. Soobin nods in agreement, reaching out to touch the picture. It’s just . . . Seonghwa’s success certainly didn’t come overnight, though it wasn’t slow either. And to think that he hasn’t even been in America for ten years . . .

“He’s quite the phenomenon for sure,” Taehyun mumbles. He gets up. “But I wanna check his laptop. You guys can keep looking, I don’t care, but I just feel like that’s important.” 

Soobin snorts a laugh at him as he gets up, walking over to Hongjoong’s desk. Similarly to Seonghwa’s, there aren’t any pictures on it, though a little succulent has been overturned. Soobin drags his hand over the smooth glass surface, a strange sort of melancholy filling him as he looks at Hongjoong’s desk. 

“How long did he work here for?” he asks, looking up. Yeosang, Yunho, and Mingi all look over at him. 

“A few months,” Yeosang says, looking at the others for confirmation. Mingi shrugs. 

“Yeah, probably,” he says. Soobin hums, continuing to look. 

He’s just messing around with Seonghwa’s chair when he feels the line of a zipper. Soobin’s claws extend and he runs one over what he believes to be a zipper, stopping when he finds the end. 

_ Can’t believe they didn’t find this, _ he thinks, unzipping the chair. His eyes widen as the bottom opens like a wide, gaping mouth, though he’s far more focused on the papers inside. 

“Uh, guys?” he says, reaching inside and pulling them out. “You might wanna look at this. I found some papers in his chair.” 

“What? What are they? What do they say?” Yeonjun asks, the first to come over. Soobin sits down and begins flipping through, frowning and furrowing his brow. 

“Stop,” Yunho says suddenly. Soobin looks up, surprised, and the dog hybrid reaches forward to pull the paper out. 

“It’s a letter,” he says, frowning at it. 

“To Hongjoong-Hyung, no less!” Mingi adds. 

“Wait, really? What does it say? Did he know he - did he know something was going to happen to him?” Beomgyu asks, leaning over Yunho’s shoulder. 

“Seems to be the case,” Yunho mumbles. He looks up. “You guys think I should read it?” 

“Just to see if there’s any information about their whereabouts or something,” Soobin says, still feeling a bit uneasy. 

Yunho nods, clearing his throat. 

“ _To my dear Hongjoong,_ _  
__I apologize for the circumstances under which this letter was written and, presumably, for what must’ve happened for you to receive it. Alas, I suppose that it’s been coming for years, and I only hastened the process by agreeing to this._ _  
__But enough of that, yes? I wish not for you to remember me as someone who sacrificed himself for a cause, albeit it is quite a noble one. I would rather have you remember our time together as lovers, for I have never found myself to be happier. Dearest Hongjoong, please believe me when I tell you that I loved you. I must admit that I hadn’t expected it at all, and yet I don’t regret a single thing, except, perhaps, for hurting you in the process of everything. But I digress._ _  
__By the time you receive this letter, you should be at the shelter. The hybrids there - at least, the ones I’ve met - are kind and they will take good care of you. You need not worry about any injuries you may sustain, for all will be tended to. Also, my love, please don’t worry about me - I have been waiting for this for far too long. I suppose, in a sense, one could call it ‘karma’ for what I did to my (late) sugar daddy. Have you ever heard of Andre Garcia and his sudden heart attack? What about the twink who inherited everything? That was me. I paid someone to take care of him, though I would not pin the blame upon them._ _  
__Goodness, there’s still so much I want to tell you. I suppose that’s why I’ve written multiple letters, though I wouldn’t be surprised if you do not find all of them. Don’t be alarmed, darling; many of them are simply recountings of our time spent together, for - at risk of being repetitive - I have never been happier than when I’m with you._ _  
__To wrap this letter up, as it’s gotten awfully long, I simply want to say thank you and I love you. Perhaps one could argue that I’m telling you my true feelings far too early and that they are simple products of my desperation for affection, but, as cheesy as it may sound, I swear to you that this is how I feel. I hope to find you again, dear Hongjoong._ _  
_ _With love and regret,_ _  
_ __-Seonghwa.”

“That’s - that’s sad,” Hueningkai says quietly. 

“There’s a P.S. too,” Mingi says, jabbing Yunho’s shoulder. 

“Well, yeah. But it’s an address.” 

“An address?!” Taehyun cries. He scrambles over. “What does it say?” 

Yunho shrugs, showing him the paper. Taehyun curses. 

Hueningkai looks around at them before shrugging and saying, “Well, I think that’s pretty useful, huh?”


	6. Kitty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan and Felix visit a mysterious hybrid, Hongjoong finds momentary solace in an unexpected location, and Soobin finally gets some good news.

“Just stay quiet,” Chan murmurs. He rests his hand on the gun in his belt, beckoning Felix over. The cat hybrid doesn’t see him, though Chan watches as his hand slides to his belt. He can see all of the hybrids waiting for orders, watching the Guards as they come in. 

“Everyone put your hands up,” the mechanical voice sounds from the leader. Chan lifts his hands and puts them behind his head, watching as the others do the same. He looks around and does a headcount, finding only eight people including himself. 

_ Where are Wooyoung and San? _ he thinks, trying to be as subtle as possible as he glances around the casino. Unfortunately, though, the two hybrids are nowhere to be found. 

“Do you know where Wooyoung and San are?” he whispers to Minho. The snow leopard hybrid is closest to him. Minho shakes his head, surveying the room. 

“No, but I bet they’ve got something planned,” he murmurs. Chan sucks in a breath through his teeth, eying the guards as they begin to search the hybrids nearest to them. 

“We’re gonna have to be careful. We can’t stay or someone’s going to recognize us,” Chan says. Minho hums, glancing around. 

“Okay,” he starts, looking for the others, “you just-”

“Put your hands behind your back. You have the right to remain silent,” a voice that Chan recognizes says. He glances over his shoulder and sees a White Guard, but a quick, focused look at their eyes reveals that they’re pitch black. San grins at him and adjusts his pistol, tilting his head. Wooyoung is cuffing some of the others, speaking quietly under his breath. 

Carefully, Chan lets San cuff him. The snake hybrid slides something into his hand as he does so, then he moves on to Minho. Chan watches as the rest of his pack is round up and led out of  _ La Nébuleuse du Sud _ , keeping his head down as per San’s instructions and his own common sense. 

“What are you doing?” he hisses through gritted teeth. San hums and hits the back of his neck. 

“Just go. Don’t make a-”

“Guard #4461, where are you going with that hybrid?” a mechanical voice asks. Chan’s blood runs cold as he and San stop walking.

“Commander,” the snake hybrid says, making his voice deeper, “I was taking him to the van to be transported back to the city.” 

There’s a soft whirring sound that makes Chan’s ears twitch. 

“State your unit ID number please,” the voice says, leaving no room for arguments. Chan gulps and prays that nothing goes wrong (even though he doesn’t know how else this could end). 

San is silent. Chan’s heartbeat gets louder with each second that passes, glancing over his shoulder at the two. San’s posture is stiff but it’s still hard to tell what his next move will be, though Chan has a sneaking suspicion that it involves-

_ BAM! _

-violence. 

“What the hell?! Why did you do that?” Chan cries as San helps him out of his cuffs. The snake hybrid waves his pistol around and rolls his eyes, shaking his head disapprovingly. 

“Just help me move the body; we don’t have much time before more of ‘em come to investigate. Woo’s taken care of the others, just-”

The door bursts open, revealing several White Guards, all standing in front of the two hybrids as they try to lift the body of the commander up. Chan and San look at each other and then the Guards. 

“Uh, surprise?” Chan says, shrugging. San gives him no warning before dropping the other end of the body and whipping his pistol out, firing at all of the guards. 

“Goddammit, Hyung, don’t try for comedic effect!” he shouts, grabbing the wolf hybrid’s hand and sprinting away. “Don’t they teach you what to do in that kind of situation in secret spy slash rebel-thingie school?!” 

“I thought it would distract them!” Chan yells back. San shoves him into a car, cursing loudly. “And it did! You shot them!” 

“You guys  _ shot _ the  _ White Guards?!” _ Seungmin shrieks. 

“Well, no,” San says, pulling his helmet off and shaking his head. He looks up and grins at them. “I shot them. Chan-Hyung just kinda stood there and panicked.” 

Chan hits the back of his neck. 

“I tried to help you with the body!” he says. San waves his hand. 

“Leave me alone. You didn’t do shit,” San says. He sits down and sighs, leaning his head back. “God, what an asshole. I can’t believe she’d do that.” 

“Is everyone okay?” Chan asks. He looks around, making sure that all ten of them are in the van. There are ten hybrids, all of which match his packmates, so he’s pretty sure that it’s safe to say that they have everyone in the vehicle. 

“Well, we got a message from Yoongi-Hyung,” Seungmin says, waving Chan over. He’s set up a little technology station, complete with his laptop and headphones. He’s typing away and Chan sits behind him, squinting at the little Korean words on the screen. Out of their worries about anything happening to their technology, the message is written in code, though Chan’s spent years learning it and memorizing the patterns. 

“Is that . . . is that an address?” he asks. He chews on his lower lip. “Is that-”

“It’s here, and he says that they found it in Seonghwa’s office,” Seungmin explains. “They’ve been looking around-”

“You guys went to his office?” San asks. He’s looking at them carefully, his dark eyes unreadable. “When? What about his apartment?” 

“We didn’t go,” Chan says. He glances back at Wooyoung as he drives. His eyes are hard and, just like San’s, unreadable. 

“It was the others back at home,” Changbin says gently to the snake hybrid, rubbing his back. “They’re trying to find-”

“What did they find?” San interrupts. “Pictures? Family records? Anything? Do you guys . . . do you guys know now?” 

“Know what?” Jisung asks, tilting his head. “Was there something-”

“No, it’s nothing,” San says quickly, something flashing in his eyes before he looks away, staring at his lap. He pulls out a butterfly knife and begins spinning it around his fingers, his pistol having been put away. As far as Chan knows, San only keeps three weapons on his person at all times; the butterfly knife he’s playing with, his pistol, and a boot knife are the three, though Chan wouldn’t be surprised if he had more. Considering what he had to do with drugs, it’s not too surprising or uncommon for someone to carry weapons the way San does.

“Well,” Seungmin says, looking around the van, which now feels a little awkward, “who do you think should go? Hyung said a big group wouldn’t be a very good idea because we don’t want to scare whoever lives there, but we should bring more than one person.”

“Can Chan-Hyung and I go?” Felix asks quietly, and Chan realizes that it’s the first word he’s said since they started driving. “I - I’ve heard of that address before. I used . . . before I came to the shelter, I - I worked around there. Sometimes.” When he sees the horrified expressions on the others’ faces, he waves his hands. “No, no, no! It wasn’t my pimp’s place! I just - I think it’s another hybrid who lives there if he hasn’t moved yet.” 

“Is there a lot of . . . a lot of-”

“Sex trafficking?” Felix interrupts Jeongin. He shrugs. “Yeah. You can say it, you know. I’m not gonna start shrieking or screaming and crying or anything.” 

“Okay,” Jeongin says. He offers Felix a little trademark Jeongin smile, his eyes turning to small crescents, his ears flopping and his tail wagging. 

“Do you wanna go tomorrow or something?” Chan asks him. Felix shrugs, glancing at San and then Wooyoung. “I mean, I don’t really care.”

“Does it bother you guys if we do?” Felix asks. San looks up at him, tilting his head a bit.

“Why do you ask?” he says. He blinks once, twice. “I’m not the one going, am I?” 

Felix seems to flounder for a bit as San gets up and heads to the front of the van, sitting down beside Wooyoung. Chan watches as they begin to speak quietly to one another, Korean passing between them. Even though he can understand, he tries to focus on the others. It feels like they don’t want anyone to be eavesdropping on their conversation. 

They reach the hotel and all decide to turn in for bed, agreeing that it’s best for all of them. Chan is sure that the others are all tired from what happened at the casino, and it’s not like they went during the day either. He chances a glance out the window and groans when he sees the golden light of the sun beginning to tickle the city, leaning against the elevator. 

The sight of his and Felix’s shared bed makes Chan want to cry when he finally realizes how exhausted he really is. He and Felix trudge into the bathroom to brush their teeth and clean their makeup off, and then they both get into bed. 

“God, I’m so tired,” Chan sighs as he lies down beside Felix. The cat hybrid smiles at him, reaching out and tracing the side of his face.

“You did a lot today,” he says softly. Chan grunts and shrugs. 

“So did you,” he whispers. “What about you? How wdo you feel? Tired? Hungry?” 

Felix yawns cutely, smiling sleepily. 

“Mm. Just sleepy,” he says, his eyelids drooping. Chan chuckles and kisses him, pulling away with a fond smile. 

“All right,” he says. “I’ll see you in the morning, Lix.” 

“See . . . see you in the morning,” Felix mumbles, his eyelids falling shut. Chan does the same not long after. 

He wakes up extremely warm. Sweat runs down his brow, soaking his t-shirt and sticking his bangs to his forehead. Chan grunts as he sits up, drawing a soft, raspy whine of protest from Felix. 

“Fuckin’ hell, sunshine, it’s too  _ hot, _ ” he groans, shoving gently at the cat hybrid. Felix mewls again and tightens his grip around Chan’s waist, stubbornly burrowing against him. His long, fluffy tail flicks about as his brow furrows, freckles shifting. 

“Mmm. Stay in bed,” Felix says. He snuggles closer. “It’s too early.” 

“We have to go to that apartment, though,” Chan tells him softly, running his fingers through Felix’s hair and playing with the golden strands. They catch on the sunlight, and it really makes Felix’s nickname fit even more. 

“Five more minutes?” Felix says, looking up and batting his eyes innocently. Chan snorts as he turns to swing his legs over the side of the bed, shrugging nonchalantly. 

“Well, I mean,  _ you _ can stay in bed if you want,” Chan tells him, “but I’m gonna get ready to go. You should too if you wanna come with me.” 

Felix grunts, probably out of annoyance, but he gets up anyway, scowling at Chan as he drags himself to the bathroom. Chan laughs as he follows him, shaking his head fondly. 

They leave not long after they finish getting ready. Chan and Felix bid goodbye to the others after securing their bags and getting their coats. Minho and Jisung both promise to tell the rest of the pack that they’ve gone out, and then the couple leaves.

“It’s nice to finally get some alone time, eh?” Chan says, nudging Felix playfully as they get into the elevator. Felix snorts and shakes his head at him, squeezing Chan’s hand. 

“We were alone last night,” he points out. Chan giggles and shrugs, turning to nuzzle his boyfriend’s cheek. 

“I know.” 

Felix snorts again as the elevator doors open and they walk out. 

Their trip to the address isn’t a very slow one. They make it there quickly, and, soon enough, Chan is knocking on the door to some shitty apartment. 

“Hello?” he says. “I’m, uh, I’m-”

A cat hybrid opens the door, looking as if he’s just gotten up. He’s wearing an oversized t-shirt, and his fur is rather dirty. His black hair looks like it could use a wash too. 

“Huh? Who are you?” he says, clearly annoyed. He rubs his eyes, giving the two hybrids in his doorway a once-over. Chan is almost certain that recognition flashes through his eyes when he sees Felix, though the cat hybrid is quick to dismiss it. 

“I’m Chris, and this is Felix,” Chan says, gesturing to himself and then his boyfriend. The cat hybrid lifts his hand to wave at the male, who continues to eye them warily. 

“Taemin,” he says at last, holding his hand out. Chan and Felix shake it, stepping back. “What’re you guys doing here this early?” 

“We were sent here by someone whom you might know,” Chan explains. “May we come in?” 

Taemin’s apartment smells like weed and cigarettes and cat food. Their host throws himself onto his couch and stares at Chan and Felix as they take their shoes off and sit down on the other couch, his dark eyes suspicious. 

“Who sent you?” Taemin asks, lighting a cigarette. He breathes a plume of smoke into the air. “The government? They figure out I left ‘cause I’m a hybrid?” 

“What?” Felix says. 

Taemin snorts, shaking his head. 

“With what happened to Seonghwa, there’s no reason not to be scared,” he tells them, waving his cigarette around. “I mean, damn, they’re really going all in to hunt him down, huh? And while I’m not, like, as big as he is in the media, a newsreporter is still pretty seen by the public.” He winks at them. “Better safe than sorry, yeah?” 

Chan nods slowly. Taemin sighs, shaking his head. He clearly lives alone, or his roommate might just be as disorganized as he is. Who knows?

“We were sent - sent by Seonghwa,” Chan tells him. Taemin hums. 

“Were you?” 

“Well, we’ve been trying to find him, and we found your address,” Felix says. “You see, this is really-”

“How do I know you’re not fakes comin’ to do more harm than good?” Taemin says, jabbing his cigarette at them accusingly. “I’m not stupid. Being pretty doesn’t equal a lack of intelligence, though I’m sure that Freckles here can attest to that, huh?” 

Felix points at himself, looking surprised. 

“Me?” he says. “Am I ‘Freckles’?” 

Taemin scoffs and swings his legs around, turning to face them. 

“Listen here, you two,” he says, “I don’t give out this type of information for free. You gotta tell me who I’m talking to, give me some background information.” He brings his cigarette back to his lips, eying the couple before him. “So. Who wants to go first?”

“Well, we’re both from Australia,” Chan offers. “And we’re both hybrids.” 

“Anyone will do anything if you pay them enough,” Taemin says. “What  _ actual _ proof do you have? Anything of Seonghwa’s? Any information about him? What are you gonna give me?” 

“He came here to escape an arranged marriage?” Felix says. Taemin hums, leaning back against the couch with a somewhat satisfied nod. 

“Mm. That’s true. You guys know anything else?” 

“San Choi,” Chan says. “San Choi knows him. They’re both snake hybrids.” 

Taemin hums yet again, smirking at them. His eyes glitter coyly as he gets up, dropping his cigarette in the ashtray before he goes. He opens a closet and pulls out a black leather briefcase, humming quietly under his breath. Chan thinks his voice is pretty, even if he seems to smoke a lot. 

“Here,” he says. “It’s - I don’t know if it’ll help you all too much on your little quest or whatever, but it’s important shit.” 

“What is it?” Chan asks as he looks at the briefcase. 

“Medical records, fingerprints, blood samples. All that crazy shit. He sent it to me for safekeeping.” 

“How?” Chan says, carefully opening the briefcase. Just as Taemin said, there are several papers pressed against the lid along with a few vials of blood. There are hair samples too, and what Chan thinks to be scales.

“We know each other. It was mutually beneficial,” Taemin says. He shrugs. “Anyway, you two should leave soon. Shit always tends to hit the fan when you go to places you’re not supposed to be.” 

~

Hongjoong doesn’t know how much time has passed since they got into the cabin. Seonghwa is lying on a makeshift bed that Hongjoong constructed in front of the fireplace, snoozing away quietly. He hasn’t woken up once since Hongjoong dragged him inside, made the nest, lit the fire, and tried to force himself to eat. His stomach churns as he stares at the golden flames, trying to think properly. While he doubts that he  _ looks _ mere seconds away from a mental breakdown, Hongjoong certainly doesn’t feel that way. His thoughts are scattered and heavliy disorganized, running rampant through his head as he tries to get himself together. It’s still dark outside, and, even as he sits near the fire, Hongjoong feels faint traces of the cold from the storm. 

_ At least Seonghwa’s safe, _ he thinks, glancing over at his boyfriend. He sighs, biting his lip.  _ Well, as safe as he can be. _

Hongjoong sighs yet again and leans back onto the rug, staring up at the wooden ceiling of the cabin. They’re extremely lucky to have found this place, though Hongjoong doubts that it has running water or heating or electricity, but Hongjoong also knows that things could be a whole lot worse. 

However, he’s certain that either way, something would be wrong with Seonghwa. As far as the cat hybrid can guess, Seonghwa probably has hypothermia. Hongjoong has done all that he (thinks) he should, but he’s never had to treat anyone with hypothermia, so it’s a bit difficult. He does know, however, that he needs to keep Seonghwa warm. 

_ God, what am I going to do? _ Hongjoong asks himself, glancing over at his boyfriend. The dragon hybrid is lying on his stomach, his head turned toward the fire. He’s breathing slowly, but it’s steady enough that Hongjoong hasn’t yet begun to worry. 

_ I should start looking for some sort of pharmacy or rest stop to get medicine,  _ he thinks. His eyes are drooping.  _ But I also need to sleep. But Seonghwa might be awake in the morning, and he probably won’t want me to leave.  _

Hongjoong bites his lip, stealing yet another glance at Seonghwa. He’s still unconscious, though Hongjoong would be lying if he said he was surprised. Hopefully, though, Seonghwa didn’t start hibernating or anything. Now  _ that _ would be a problem. 

Hongjoong bites his lip. At this point, it’s just going to burst. 

_ I have to go find somewhere to get the stuff, _ Hongjoong thinks. He wills himself to get up, keeping a careful eye on Seonghwa the entire time. However, the dragon hybrid remains dormant, and then Hongjoong leaves. 

It’s still snowing when Hongjoong gets outside. He hugs himself and looks around, his ears twitching as he blinks rapidly to keep the snow from getting caught in his eyelashes. Hongjoong begins to speed-walk through the forest, not bothering to even try to be quiet since he doubts there’s anyone following him. While he knows he’s plenty suspicious, he also knows that there’s a very low chance of anyone else being in the forest in general. 

Hongjoong walks for at least an hour before he comes across a small, darkened shop. His heartrate speeds up as he stands in the snow, staring wide-eyed at the building. 

_ I have to break in, _ he thinks. He digs his nails into the skin of his palms and sighs heavily, before he grabs a rock and then heads over. 

The glass breaks easily, but the sound is still loud. Hongjoong’s fur stands up as he reaches in through the hole in the door and picks the lock, cursing all the while. 

The door swings open, and Hongjoong scambers inside. His hood is pulled overr his head and he walks quickly, grabbing whatever he can. Canned soup, instant meals, water bottles, and-

The light turns on, and Hongjoong shrieks when he catches sight of a woman standing near the back of the shop. She stares at Hongjoong and Hongjoong stares back before he turns around and runs, weaving through the aisles and panting loudly. However, before he can get to the door, a hand grabs his wrist and pulls him back. 

_ Fuckfuckfuckfuck, _ Hongjoong thinks as he’s taken to the back of the store, clutching his things to his chest. His heartbeat gets louder and faster with every step he takes, and Hongjoong prays that he doesn’t start freaking out. He  _ really _ doesn’t want to be here. 

“Sit,” the woman says, pointing at a chair. Hongjoong stares at her, paralyzed, his eyes wide as he shakes violently in place. The woman sighs and shakes her head, getting up. Hongjoong squeaks as he tries to scramble away, though he ends up tripping over his tail. There’s another person in the room now, a man, perhaps Hongjoong’s air but definitely younger than the woman. They have the same big, brown eyes, and Hongjoong half-wonders if they’re related. However, he’s a lot more focused on escaping this little corner, though he doubts that he’d even make it halfway to the door. 

“Jacob, help me,” the woman says, pointing at the man. Hongjoong curls closer to the corner and his lips part from his teeth as he tries to muster up the scariest hiss he can, though he doubts it does any good since both of the people before him are bigger than he is. 

Eventually, Hongjoong is brought to a chair. The cat hybrid curls up on top of it, staring fearfully at the two humans before him. A cup of tea is given to him, perhaps a peace offering, but Hongjoong is still terrified. Jacob and the woman watch him carefully, their dark eyes unreadable. Or maybe Hongjoong’s just delirious. 

“So how old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen? Nineteen?” the woman asks. Jacob shifts in his seat, and Hongjoong’s ears try to disappear into his hair. 

Hongjoong stops and stares down at the cup of tea, not saying anything. He could lie, say he’s younger than he is, and, with the way he’s been treated, it could probably be pretty helpful. 

“Seventeen,” he finally says. 

The store owner nods and sits down, wiping her hands on a cloth. She’s older, with thick black hair in curly, glistening ringlets that frame her face. Her eyes are crinkled in the corners, her skin a warm, dark brown. She’s pretty, cozy, and it doesn’t look like she’s planning on hurting Hongjoong. Jacob has a similar demeanor, carrying the same sort of kind worriedness that his (presumed) mother does. Neither of them seem to mean any harm. 

“What are you doing out here?” Jacob asks. Hongjoong chews on his lower lip, picking at the skin around his nails. His skin is dried and cracking, blood filling in the crevices. He doesn’t know how long he’s had it for. 

“Runaway,” he lies yet again. “I’m a runaway.” 

The woman hums and nods, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. And then she gets up and walks off, and Hongjoong’s eyes nervously swoop the room. His eyes land on Jacob and the man stares back at him. 

“I’m Jacob,” he says, holding his hand out. Hongjoong nods. 

“Hongjoong,” he says quietly. He looks back at his hands. “I - thank you.” 

Jacob shrugs at him. 

“It’s nothing,” he says. “I mean, fixing the door won’t take too long, and we live upstairs anyway. Mom doesn't have trouble restocking either.” He gives Hongjoong a once-over. “How long’ve you been on the run, anyway?” 

Hongjoong shrugs. How long  _ have _ he and Seonghwa been running, really? At least a week, he knows that.

“I don’t know,” he says quietly. Jacob hums, leaning back in his chair. 

“Where’s your buddy?” he asks then. Hongjoong’s head jerks up as he stares at Jacob with wide eyes, breathing heavily. 

“What?” he says weakly. “What - who?” 

Jacob purses his lips. He stays silent for a decent amount of time before sighing and shaking his head. 

“Never mind,” he says. “I can see why you don’t want to talk about it; just be careful, okay?” 

Hongjoong nods slowly, watching Jacob carefully. However, they aren’t given any chance to continue their situation because Jacob’s mother comes back into the room, carrying a bag. 

“Here,” she says. “I doubt that I’ll be able to keep you from running, so take this and that medicine.” She pats him on the head and Hongjoong can’t help but wish he could melt into it. “Good luck, little kitty.”

“Thank you,” Hongjoong whispers. Jacob waves at him as he turns and heads up the staircase after his mother, leaving Hongjoong alone. 

He leaves quickly, guilt filling him as he stares at the hole in the door. Hongjoong shakes his head at himself quickly. No, he doesn’t have time to worry about that. It’s already morning, and Hongjoong watches as his breath escapes from between his lips in white puffs. Still a bit dazed from his encounter with the shop owners, Hongjoong thinks back to when Seonghwa used to smoke. 

_ That seems like it was so long ago, _ he thinks as he begins walking back the way he came, following his footprints. Thankfully, they haven’t been snowed-over yet, though he has a feeling that he’d better pick up the pace if he wants to keep it that way. 

Hongjoong walks through the forest, moving quickly and hoping that Seonghwa is still unconscious. He can remember how he’d been the last time he’d left without telling him; Hongjoong just hopes that he doesn’t throw another fit when he wakes up and realizes that he’s alone.

The sounds of destruction that reach his ears do not promise anything good. Hongjoong grumbles a curse as he begins to jog, tightening his grip on the handles of the bag. He can see some branches that have been removed from the trees around him and he can hear things being thrown around, a sure sign of Seonghwa’s consciousness. 

“Seonghwa!” Hongjoong yells, waving his arms as he comes into the clearing. Seonghwa has tears streaming down his cheeks and he’s wearing one of the blankets from inside like it’s a cloak. His eyes are heartbroken and desperate as he searches for the source of Hongjoong’s voice, finally landing on the cat hybrid. 

“ _ Hongjoong,” _ the dragon hybrids breathes. He pulls Hongjoong into his arms and presses his face into the crook of Hongjoong’s neck. Even after so long by the fire, the skin of Seonghwa’s face is icy cold as it pushes up against Hongjoong’s neck. The cat hybrid shivers and tightens his hold on Seonghwa, shutting his eyes and wishing that they were back in Seonghwa’s penthouse apartment. He doesn’t want to be here anymore. 

Without realizing it, Hongjoong has begun to cry. His tears slide down his cheeks and they start slowly, going one at a time. It doesn’t take long, though, for their descent down over his skin to quicken, and, soon enough, Hongjoong is full-out sobbing just like Seonghwa. The two hybrids have both fallen to their knees, and they embrace each other in the middle of the forest floor, ignoring how the snow soaks into their pants and freezes their kneecaps. All Hongjoong knows is that Seonghwa is  _ here _ and that he’s crying and he’s begging Hongjoong to stay with him. A garbled mess of English and Korean spill from his boyfriend’s lips, though Hongjoong isn’t paying enough attention to what he’s saying to understand anything. His fingers run through Seonghwa’s hair as Seonghwa rocks them back and forth, whispering raspy promises against his skin. They’re pressed into the crook of his neck and told in a fashion akin to that of the way secrets are. 

“I love you so much, I love you so much,” Seonghwa whispers quickly, and Hongjoong can feel how he shakes in his arms. Hongjoong cries even harder, seeking comfort from the embrace of his boyfriend. 

“I love you too,” he says hoarsely. “I love you so much, Seonghwa, just please don’t leave me. Please don’t leave.” 

Seonghwa’s grip on him tightens, yet he remains silent. Hongjoong prays that it’s simply because he’s too busy crying to have heard him. 

But a feeling in Hongjoong’s gut tells him that Seonghwa knows exactly what he said, and he simply chose not to respond. 

~

The news has become very important in their search for Seonghwa and Hongjoong. While it’s far from the best source (Soobin doubts that they even  _ have _ a number one source. Seonghwa’s shit is far from reliable because, as they’ve discovered more, it’s been proven that he’s written up several “backstories” for himself, none of which make sense when compared to the others. So, yeah, this is easy.), it’s still good for keeping tabs on how far they  _ think _ the government is. 

“Anything yet?” he asks Yoongi. The cat hybrid slowly turns to look at him, blinking lethargically. He’s been working non-stop for the past . . . God, who knows? Soobin can’t remember the last time Yoongi  _ wasn’t _ sitting in front of his laptop, trying his damndest to get into Seonghwa’s personal information. 

“Can you repeat that?” Yoongi says raspily. 

Soobin winces in sympathy. 

“You should go to sleep,” he says instead of repeating his question. Yoongi fixes him with a death-glare and turns away, scowling heavily. 

“Shut the fuck up,” he grumbles. Without looking away from his computer, Yoongi fumbles for one of the cans surrounding him. When his fingers wrap around something, he snags it and takes a drink. “Don’t you have work to do, anyway? Why’re you bothering me?” 

“I wouldn’t say that I’m  _ bothering _ you,” Soobin says, shrugging and bending down as he begins to gather Yoongi’s trash up. “I like to think of it as looking out for my elders.” 

“Ah, you’re gonna be a little shit while I’m running on caffeine pills and too much coffee, is that it?” Yoongi says, looking over at him. Soobin shrugs again as he gets up, grinning at the cat hybrid as he deposits all of the garbage into the trash can. 

“Just a suggestion, Hyung. No need to get pissy,” he says teasingly. Yoongi sighs and scoots away from his computer, rubbing his eyes before simply just resting his face in his hands. 

“I’m so fucking tired,” he grumbles, his voice muffled by his palms. Soobin hums and begins rubbing his back. “God, do you know how many hours I’ve been sitting here? It feels like I’m cemented onto the damn floor.” 

“Jimin-Hyung wants you to come to bed,” Soobin says. “He’s very sad that you’re neglecting him.” 

Yoongi laughs softly and shakes his head, slowly getting to his feet. He picks his laptop up and sighs, closing the lid and holding the device under his armpit. 

“Don’t wake me up unless there’s an emergency, got it?” he says threateningly. Soobin laughs and puts his hands up, nodding as he watches the older feline head toward his room. He shakes his head fondly and continues to clean the room up, humming to himself.

The past few days have been pretty uneventful in their search. Chan and the rest of his pack have found the biggest casino Seonghwa owns (or is it owned? Are they still under his name? Does he still have anything left after what happened that day?), and, supposedly, one of the possible hiding places. And, of course, there’s the address that they found back in Seonghwa’s office, though Chan or Seungmin, who tends to take care of their reports, has yet to send anything back. Soobin just hopes that it helped somehow. 

The panther hybrid sighs to himself and shakes his head. This is taking a whole lot longer than he’d originally thought it would, though, then again, he’s never exactly dealt with any sort of “missing person” cases. But also, Seonghwa is probably one of the only dragon hybrids to ever exist, and yet he hasn’t been seen  _ once _ . Fake reports and sightings come up every day, but people always end up proving them to be, well, fake. All they know is that Seonghwa is no longer in New York City. Which is great because there’s a near endless amount of land for him to go to. 

Soobin rolls his eyes. He supposes he’s being a bit mean with this. It’s really not Seonghwa nor Hongjoong’s fault that they’re running and not telling anyone where they are. It never hurt anyone to be too careful, and, in a situation such as this one, being too careful is how you stay alive. And, well, if he’s looking on the bright side, Soobin supposes that it’s a good thing that no one, including the White Guards searching for them, has seen Seonghwa and Hongjoong. 

_ Hopefully, though, this isn’t an ‘all or nothing’ situation, _ Soobin thinks as he dusts his hands off on his pants and looks around. Maybe, if he wishes hard enough, Seonghwa and Hongjoong will appear in the shelter and then they can do whatever’s next in Namjoon’s plan or something. Soobin doesn’t really know. He’s just tired of being stressed out. 

Oh, and, of course, there’s no way he nor anyone else can possibly forget Namjoon’s temper. Clearly, the amount of time it’s taking to find Seonghwa and Hongjoong is stressing him out. Soobin doesn’t know  _ all _ of the details, but he’s heard that part of it is because Seonghwa and Hongjoong will almost certainly be used as a bargaining chip or blackmail against them. Soobin is also guessing that some of it is due to the fact that Seonghwa is (supposedly) the only other dragon hybrid that Namjoon’s ever seen. But don’t take his word for it. He’s not entirely sure and, considering the older hybrid’s attitude, Soobin isn’t too keen on asking Namjoon himself. 

They don’t do a lot during the day. Yoongi sleeps for several hours and Jimin comes to thank him, and then they all eat lunch together, minus Yoongi since he’s still sleeping. Namjoon retreats to his room to stress out some more while Soobin heads to the living room to play some video games with Jongho and Taehyun. They get their briefing from Seungmin a few hours later, and then they eat dinner. 

“God, that’s awful,” Seokjin comments. Namjoon is poking at his food dejectedly, and his husband scoldingly slaps his arm. “Joon-ah. Eat your food.” 

“Jinnie, they’re sending  _ White Guards _ in. There are inside agents in the Jungle, and we sent an entire  _ pack. _ What if something happens to them? We’d never know!” Namjoon exclaims. “What if they’re discovered?! They’ll  _ die!” _

Seokjin pats his hand reassuringly, humming softly. 

“Well, eight of them go into the Capitol Building and pretend to be police officers, yet you have no qualms about that, do you?” he says gently. Namjoon is chewing on his nails, eyes darting around the room. 

“I - no,” he admits. Seokjin smiles and pats his hand again. 

“So don’t worry about them. They know how to be careful; I doubt that they’ll get caught. Seen, maybe, but not by anyone important. They’re all smarter than that. Have a little faith, yeah?” 

Namjoon nods, but he still looks rather nervous as he slowly begins to eat. Seokjin keeps an eye on him the entire time, and Soobin can’t help the way his stomach churns as he finishes his meal and excuses himself. 

“Hey,” Yeonjun says as they walk, grabbing his hand. Soobin turns and offers him a weak smile, squeezing his hand. 

“Hey,” he says. Yeonjun leans over to rest his head on Soobin’s shoulder, humming softly under his breath. 

“You seem tense,” Yeonjun comments, his voice gentle. Soobin shrugs, hoping not to disrupt his boyfriend too much. Nonetheless, Yeonjun stands up straight and stops them in the hallway, bringing his hands up to cup Soobin’s face. 

“I’m not that tense,” Soobin tries to protest. Yeonjun scoffs and squishes his cheeks, leaning forward so he can rub their noses together. Soobin giggles, shaking his head. Yeonjun pulls away from him with a soft smile, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind Soobin’s ear.

“Really, though,” he says, his eyes becoming worried as they search Soobin’s, “are you sure you’re okay? I know you haven’t been sleeping that well; don’t lie to me, okay?” 

Soobin hums, taking his hand and kissing his palm. 

“I’ll tell you if I feel overworked,” he says softly. “I promise, Hyung, I’m fine. Really, I am.” 

Yeonjun hums, though he still looks rather dissatisfied. He steps away from Soobin and lets his hands fall to his sides, sighing softly. 

“Okay, I trust you,” he says. He smiles at Soobin, the corners of his lips twitching up a little bit. Soobin smiles back. “Just take care of yourself, yeah? I know - we won’t be able to - you can’t lead us if you’re not - if you’re sick or anything.” 

Soobin hums, nodding and brushing his hair away from his face to plant a kiss on his forehead. Yeonjun snorts at him and shakes his head, pulling away from the panther hybrid with a playful smile. Soobin follows him fondly, allowing his boyfriend to lead him down the hall. 

The rest of the day is, somehow, uneventful. Soobin and Yeonjun play video games for a short period of time before they both agree to take a nap, though Mingi comes to tell them about lunch before either hybrid can fall asleep. 

“How’ve you been adjusting, by the way,” Yeonjun asks as they walk. Mingi glances over and shrugs, straightening up as he continues through the hall. 

“It’s nice,” he says. “No routine ‘check-ups’ from the neighbors that I have to worry about, nothing terrible. It’s nice.” He bites his lip, and Soobin senses a ‘but’ coming.

“I just miss my old life,” Mingi sighs. He looks up at them, smiling sheepishly. “I mean, yeah, it probably sounds fucking stupid and shit, but I just . . . you know, Yunho and I used to go get coffee from this one café near our building. I think it was called ‘Cats and Dogs’, hybrid-owned, obviously.” He sighs again, looking wistfully at the end of the hallway. “They made really good coffee. Yunho likes Americanos, like, a lot, so he just . . . he ordered them all the time. And, in case you haven’t picked it up yet, he absolutely  _ loves _ Coke, so I always drink Coke when I’m with him. It’s my go-to drink for whenever I’m sad ‘cause it makes me think of him.” 

“How long have you two been together?” Soobin asks curiously. Mingi stops and furrows his brow, counting on his fingers and looking up. 

“Uh . . . well, I come from a mill, and I was adopted when I was a little kid by some older woman who sent me to a hybrid school where I met Yunho, but we didn’t become friends until high school. And this was all before I transitioned, but he was still plenty supportive and I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to thank him for that. He helped me come out to my owner and then he really encouraged me to pursue my dreams even if it ended up hurting him, and then we ended up dating . . . uh, I think we started dating a few years ago? Yeah, we went to Prom together.” He grins at them. “We’re the kinda high school sweethearts trope, you know?” 

Yeonjun laughs and throws an arm around the dog hybrid’s shoulder. 

“You guys are so cute,” he gushes. Mingi giggles and shrugs. 

“Well, we try to be,” he says. Yeonjun cackles as he and Mingi continue to walk down the hall. Soobin watches as they go, smiling fondly. They get to the mess hall and eat lunch, not talking too much. Yoongi’s back, though he eats rather slowly as Jimin quietly encourages.

Soobin will admit, he does hope that this sort of nothing to do lasts for a long time. He’s tired and it’s nice to have a break from being terrified about Seonghwa and Hongjoong getting captured, though the thought is still there. It’s just been pushed to the back of his mind, though, with how they’ve been able to relax today. 

The panther hybrid sighs and shakes his head, rolling onto his stomach to stare at the ceiling. The lights are off and he and Yeonjun got into bed well over an hour ago, and yet he can’t seem to fall asleep. He doubts that he should be thinking as much as he is, though, but Soobin is being honest when he says that he really can’t help himself. He’s worried, paranoid, perhaps, because this sort of thing - this break of sorts feels a whole lot like the calm before the storm. And as much as Soobin is passionate about what he does, he really doesn’t enjoy when things go to shit. 

Fortunately, though, when he wakes up, the shelter and everything is still a secret from the general public, which is always a good thing when you’re planning to revolt against the government. Or, well, he supposes that they’ve technically already done that, and now they’re just trying to figure things out from here.

But, much to Soobin’s annoyance and frustration, a large package is deposited in the elevator sometime around noon. It’s brought down to the shelter and Hoseok brings it some sort of special room to open it. Inside, he finds a black leather briefcase with the initials  _ SH _ carved in, as well as a little message written in code. 

“It’s from Chan and his pack,” Hoseok says as they all stare incredulously at the mysterious briefcase. “He says it’s what they got from the hybrid whose address you found. He was a newsreporter but he decided that it was too risky, so he quit and moved back to the Jungle. Or, well, that’s what he thinks. He didn’t elaborate too much, but it’s heavily implied.” 

“Should we open it?” Jimin says, eying the briefcase. “Who knows what could be in there? Does it say?” 

Hoseok frowns and squints at the briefcase, lifting it up to read over Chan’s message again. 

“Uh . . .”

“Let’s just open it,” Taehyung says. He nudges the dog hybrid. “Come on, Hobi-Hyung, don’t be a coward. Open the box.” 

Hoseok scowls at him and sticks his tongue out, but he undoes the buckles keeping the case closed. He opens it carefully and the rest of them all flock around him to see the contents. 

The first things Soobin notices are the carefully wrapped vials. It looks like they were swaddled by cheesecloth, though Soobin can’t be sure. However, he can see through them that there’s definitely some sort of red liquid inside, presumably blood if the other things inside of the briefcase are anything to go by. Soobin sees a few containers of black hair and scales, and he guesses that these are just medical things. 

“Are they Seonghwa’s, though? How do we know that they’re real?” Taehyun asks. “We don’t have any real proof.” 

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to hope it is,” Yoongi says, lifting one of the blood vials up. He flicks it and hums, turning it around. “I mean, this stuff in here is definitely blood, that’s for certain. Let’s just hope that it belongs to the right person.” 

Soobin can’t help the snort that escapes him. While he can fully agree and admit that the situation is far from a funny or amusing one, he still thinks that Yoongi’s comment is just a  _ little bit _ funny. Hey, don’t kill the messenger. He’s just telling the truth. 

“All right, Taehyung-ah?” Yoongi says, looking up at the tiger hybrid. Taehyug hums in question, looking up. 

“Yeah? What is it, Hyung?” he says. 

“You wanna take this to the lab for testing? Try and figure out this dragon phenomenon if you can?” Yoongi says. “Hopefully, it matches snake DNA pretty well.”

Taehyun hums, taking out a pair of rubber gloves. He pulls them over his fingers, snapping them loudly before taking the little vial. 

“This is, in the very least,  _ someone’s _ blood,” Taehyung says. He sighs, shaking his head. “Let’s just hope that it belongs to the right person.” 

Soobin once again tries to muffle his snort as Yoongi closes the briefcase and hands it to Hoseok. The dog hybrid, like Taehyung, has already donned his own pair of rubber gloves, and he lifts the briefcase gingerly before walking out. 

“What do you think we’ll get from it?” Yeonjun asks as the two males walk away. Namjoon turns and looks at him, shrugging slowly. 

“We just want to see if we can figure out how Seonghwa became what he is,” he says. He sits back on the couch, two twin trails of smoke slithering out of his nostrils. 

“Have we figured out anything about his past or anything? Any information that might help us out?” Yunho asks, sounding a bit hopeful. Namjoon doesn’t answer for a bit, his eyes gaining a far-off look that makes Soobin wonder if he even heard Yunho’s question. 

“Well,” Namjoon finally says, still not looking at them, “I’m guessing that you, Mingi, and Yeosang and maybe Jongho all know about his arranged marriage, right?” 

The four mentioned hybrids nod and Namjoon hums, sounding pleased. 

“The woman’s name is Kim Soo-Jung,” he says. “I doubt she knows anything about him and it seems to be extremely unlikely that Seonghwa ever contacted her, but we checked in anyway.” 

“She has a significant other and she’s hardly ever - she hardly remembered Seonghwa,” Yoongi says, looking at his nails. “We decided not to risk contacting her anymore.”

Soobin nods, twiddling his thumbs. 

“Oh,” he says. “Well, I can’t say that it seems like she has a lot of information for us.” 

Yoongi laughs and pats him on the head as he gets up, shaking his head. 

“Yeah,” he agrees, “sure seems like it.” 

But, other than that little briefcase, their days are uneventful. Taehyung and Hoseok and Hueningkai do multiple tests on the samples that Chan sent, and they announce at dinner that the DNA had started to react when they put it in close contact with a lot of heat. Hueningkai had added, though, that a lot of stress probably can affect it too.

Their  _ real _ breakthrough comes late, late at night. Soobin and Yeonjun are both asleep when the door flies open and Namjoon hobbles in. He shakes the other two hybrids awake, his golden eyes wide and wild. 

“Hongjoong’s been found.” 

**Author's Note:**

> usual schedule - updates will (hopefully) come weekly!


End file.
